Fifth Year At Hogwarts: The Heir
by Desiree
Summary: Suspended Basically it's a fic which covers most genres in Harry's upcoming year. One thing I'll say is that he's more powerful and spending his summer at Hogwarts.
1. Holidays…Impending Doom…Hogwarts

The Heir - Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They all belong to the gifted Joanne Kathleen Rowling so don't sue me! All I have are my plot and my computer =).

A/N: This fic is kind of a revised version of my other which is being suspended until I get over my writer's block and might even be deleted if I can't think of anything to do with it. Some ideas there would be used here too. I just didn't find that fic good and will stop writing it until I can improve it. Anyway, this is also a fifth year fic. Hope that it's pleasing to you readers. Thanks to those who supported my other fic and I hope you like this one too and that you would support it as you support the other. Do review. Since so many of you know that I'm a H/C shipper, I can say that it will most probably be a H/C fic unless I can be convinced otherwise. I can positively say with certain that it'll not be H/H. I can see Harry with anyone except Hermione. It is so obvious that they are not meant to be a couple. Well, to each his/her own. I'm not against anyone who writes H/H fics. Before I start offending anyone =), on with the fic.

Holidays…Impending Doom…Hogwarts

Lying on his bed on his first night back with the Dursleys, Harry could not stop his mind from recalling the events of the previous school year yet again. Images kept flashing through his mind. From his duel with Voldemort to Cedric's death to Cho's tear-stricken face, it just would not stop. Just then, he heard a soft knocking sound. Thinking that it was an owl, Harry turned to the window but there was nothing there. He tried to put it off as his imagination working overtime but the knock came louder. This time, he recognized it as a door knock. Wondering what the Dursleys would want at this time of the night, he trotted to open the door. But before he could, the thought that the Dursleys would just barge in instead of knocking struck him. He hesitated before muttering "What the hell…" and threw open the door. He was astonished to see Dudley standing there, looking a little fearful. "Let me in before my parents wake up," Dudley uttered as Harry motioned for him to enter. Standing before each other, neither knew what to say before Dudley broke the silence.

"Uh…I wondered if anything was wrong cause you seem to be rather troubled and silent, not that you talk much…but er…there just seem to be kind of an ominous air about you." Dudley finally said in a muddle.

"What? Don't tell me you care?" Harry retaliated before he could stop himself, making Dudley flinch at his words.

"Sorry, that was uncalled for," Harry said again after a moment of tense silence.

"It's alright. I deserved it. We've treated you badly over the years. I never realized how much you suffered until my school sent me to some army training camp earlier this year. I suffered a lot but then I realized that you had been living with us for worse. I regret all that but I know that my parents still don't." Dudley explained. "Well, don't you think I look fitter," said Dudley, trying to ease the tension. (A/N: I admit that Dudley's character is too much to the extreme.)

"Yeah, you do," Harry smiled in return.

"So…what's troubling you? If you don't mind me asking, that is." Dudley asked again.

"A student from Hog- my school died." Harry replied.

"Well, were you two close? And I don't mind hearing your school's name if my parents aren't listening." Dudley said.

"Thanks. Anyway…" Harry launched into the events of that fateful night and seemed to be less troubled after telling all that he had kept within him since the incident.

"So let me get this straight. Your worst nemesis, this Voldemort fellow, is trying to kill you. You think you are responsible for this Cedric's death and you like his girlfriend or should I say ex-." Dudley tried to understand.

"That's about it except that Voldemort is not only after me, though I'm his primary target, but after the whole world too. Even Muggles are in danger." Harry replied.

"Muggles?" Dudley was confused.

"That's non-wizarding folk like you." Harry explained.

As the days passed, Dudley and Harry became closer and seemed to be acting more like cousins. They spent quite some time together and even work out together, jogging every morning. But even though Dudley's attitude towards Harry had changed, Vernon and Petunia were still as bad as ever. They discouraged Dudley from associating with Harry but since they couldn't bring themselves to deny their precious son anything, they could not stop the growing friendship. At first, they showed their disapproval by assigning Harry more chores but that changed when Dudley started to help Harry with them.

******************************

_"The boy must be taken tonight. He has eluded me in the past due to luck but no more excuses. Kill any that stands in the way but not him. He'll be useful to me." Voldemort hissed._

_But Master, he's well protected and -," A man under a dark hood said._

_"How dare you disobey me Lucius. You will go and he will be captured. You know what will happen if you come back without him." Voldemort threatened._

_"But-," the man started again._

_"Crucio," Voldemort muttered, making the man writhe at his foot._

_After a while it stopped. "Now you'll know not to question my orders. Leave."_

_"Yes, Master," the man's voice quivered._

_As the man left, a woman's voice sounded from across the room, "You won't win, Voldemort. The Order has been revived and you will be defeated."_

_"I will defeat the Order. I will rule the world. I am Lord Voldemort." Voldemort replied confidently._

_"How naïve can you get?" the woman laughed sarcastically._

_"You will not talk against me. You should be dead by now. 'Crucio.' That'll teach you not to talk so much."_

_When the pain from the spell subsided, she continued, "You won't kill me. You need me as bait."_

_"Not anymore, you will die once I get Potter. Or would you rather die now?"_

******************************

Harry woke up drenched in sweat and shuddering. Trying to recount his dream, he immediately drafted a letter to Dumbledore just as he heard the front door being crashed open. He instantly sent Hedwig off with his half-written letter and made his way downstairs after grabbing his wand. Reaching the ground floor, he saw the whole living room filled with death eaters while the Dursleys made their way down to check out the noise.

"Expelliarmus." His wand flew out of his hand before he could react.

Just then, Vernon approached angrily, "How dare you invite your friends in here?"

Before Harry could reply, more death eaters sent curses his way. He dodged left and right but was finally cornered.

"Whatever you do, you will eventually have to leave with us. Either leave without a fight or you'll be injured and your family killed." A voice sounding suspiciously like the one in his dream said.

Harry did not move, nor did he even hear what the death eater had said. He just kept focusing on the death eaters angrily and suddenly light shot at the death eaters from all angles. They all seem stupefied and there was silence all around until he heard some clapping. He whirled and spotted Dumbledore, Sirius, Lupin and Snape. It was Dumbledore who was clapping as the other three just stood with their eyes wide open.

"You did well, Harry," Dumbledore said, with the usual twinkle in his eye.

"But…how?" Harry asked, unsure what had just happened.

"I will explain it all later. Now we will all leave for Hogwarts." Dumbledore continued.

By then everyone had come out of his or her stupor. Sirius immediately engulfed Harry in a bear hug. "We were too late but you -. How did you do it?"

"I don't know. I was just feeling angry and then they were all lying at my feet." Harry said, still confused over what had happened.

"Sorry to interrupt, but you had better pack. You will be staying at Hogwarts until school starts." Dumbledore said. " Oh, the Dursleys would be coming too."

Upon hearing this, both Vernon and Petunia exclaimed as one, "What?" - while Dudley was excited about seeing the school Harry kept raving about.

"Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, this place is now unsafe for you to live. You will be living at Hogwarts until we can find somewhere new for you. So pack lightly and we will leave. Don't bring too much. I will send someone to get the rest of your stuff later." Dumbledore said politely.

After some hassle, everybody was ready to go. They would all leave by Floo Powder since Dumbledore unblocked the fireplace, as one could not apparate into Hogwarts.

******************************

So far, Dudley had been silent but he was in awe upon seeing Hogwarts and kept opening and closing his mouth like a goldfish. "This is unbelievable. And you get to live here all year round." Dudley exclaimed to Harry.

"Yeah, I love this place." Harry replied, feeling as if he had returned home. Though he had felt better at the Dursleys after getting along with Dudley, Hogwarts always evoked such strong feelings in him.

Just then Dumbledore said, "Why don't you get settled in your dorm first, Harry? I'll call for you after I've seen the Dursleys."

Harry turned to leave but remembered something and asked, "Professor, what's the password to the common room?"

"For all the holidays, the password to each common room is set at the name of the house founder. The prefects will reset the password on the first day of school. So at the moment, the Gryffindor password is 'Godric'."

"Thanks," Harry said, thinking of the things he could do to the Slytherin common room.

And as if he knew what Harry was thinking, Dumbledore warned, "Try to keep to your own common room."

Harry's face flushed as Dumbledore escorted the Dursleys to his office.

"Here, let us help you with your stuff." Sirius said while Lupin just nodded. Snape had disappeared since they came to Hogwarts.

Harry suddenly remembered that it was full moon and asked, " Er, Professor Lupin, isn't it…er…"

"I know it's full-moon. This past year, Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape experimented with the Wolfsbane potion and produced one that could totally make me a full human again. I was their guinea pig and so far, I've not changed into a werewolf yet. It had become more of an animagi form as I can change into it at will."

"That's great. Will you be teaching us again this year?" Harry asked excitedly, while Sirius plodded on in silence.

"Yes, I will. And I believe that you can call me Remus when I'm not teaching you." Lupin smiled. Then sensing Sirius silence instead of his usual exuberance, Lupin asked, " What's up, Sirius? You aren't usually this silent."

"I am Harry's godfather yet I could do nothing when he was attacked today. I let James and Lily down." Sirius said after a moment.

Harry immediately burst out, "Oh no, Sirius. You have only been the best so far. You are like the father I never had."

Sirius looked close to tears at his words but still felt hesitant, "But -."

"Look, you are not going to feel guilty alright. Nothing happened to me." Harry tried to convince Sirius.

Before he could reply, they arrived at the Gryffindor common room, where the Fat Lady was shocked to see Harry back to school so early. But since he knew the password, she let him enter. After he got settled, Professor Dumbledore's face appeared in the common room fireplace asking to see him. Sirius and Remus also prepared to leave.

Sirius seemed to have gotten over what had transpired earlier and hugged Harry saying, "Don't worry. You'll see me over the holidays. Maybe Dumbledore would even allow you to visit us - I'm living with Remus at the moment. If not, then I'll come here."

"Okay," Harry said, reluctant to see Sirius leave after having experienced what he had that night.

Then he turned to Remus and said, "Bye, Prof- Remus," while Remus also grabbed him in a hug.

After seeing them leave through Floo Powder, Harry made his way to Dumbledore's office. Upon reaching the familiar gargoyle, Harry realized that he did not know the password to Dumbledore's office. Remembering last year's password, he tried tentatively, "Cockroach Cluster" but it did not open.

"Chocolate Frogs, Cauldron Cakes, Lemon Drops…" Harry tried but to no avail. He ran out of all the candy names he knew and tried "Sugar Quill" as a last attempt. This time the gargoyle opened for him to enter.

"Harry, it nice to finally see you. I must remember not to use any of the passwords you used earlier. I can't have students guessing the password to my office so easily." Professor Dumbledore's eyes shone with amusement.

Noting that Vernon and Petunia were sitting stiffly and rather sullen-faced, Harry asked, "Are my relatives going to stay here indefinitely? I'm afraid that they are not really er…magically-inclined," before blushing at his bluntness.

"Mr. and Mrs. Dursley will be staying in one of the empty staff quarters until we can find somewhere safer for them. We fear that Voldemort will attempt to harm them since they are your relatives. I believe that with the latest Muggle technology, Mr. Dursley can conduct his business away from office. I'll make arrangements for him since electricity would not work on Hogwarts grounds. As for Dudley, he's a wizard."

Harry grinned at the thought that the Dursleys would have to listen to Dumbledore and it took a while for Dumbledore's words to sink into him. As realization dawned, he exclaimed, "What? Um, Dudley… A wizard? He…he would have received a letter from Hogwarts when he was eleven."

"Dudley was shocked too. He never knew that his parents rejected Hogwarts invitation for him to join our school. He received his letter after you and I guess his parents did not want a repeat of what happened to you and sent a direct reply of 'No' to us."

Remembering the events that took place when Vernon refused to let him have his letter, Harry tried to suppress his laughter as Dumbledore spoke to the Dursleys, "If you would please step out, Professor McGonagall is waiting to take you to your quarters. Dudley, you may remain with your parents until Harry takes you to the Gryffindor common room or let Professor McGonagall take you there to wait for him."

As the Durleys left Dumbledore's office, Harry remembered hearing that Dudley was to go to the Gryffindor common room and asked, "Professor, won't Dudley have to be sorted?"

"Oh, he was before you entered and you'd be pleased to hear that he's in Gryffindor with you. He'd have to work with the teachers during the break to catch up on his studies so that he can be in fifth year at the start of the term."

"That's great," Harry replied.

"Now, back to what I wanted to discuss with you. You are a very powerful wizard, Harry. You can already rival Voldemort and there is a high chance that you will be even more powerful than him when you can control your powers well."

Harry cut in, "My powers?"

Dumbledore smiled, "I was just getting to that. First, let me say that you have the most enviable heritage in magical history. Since your second year when you pulled Gryffindor's sword out of the sorting hat, you should've guessed that you are the heir to Godric Gryffindor." Seeing Harry's stunned expression, Dumbledore continued, "If not, then now you know. But the greater fact is that you are related to Merlin himself. That means you have the knowledge of great magic waiting to be released."

"But…how am I related to Merlin? And so far I haven't been able to do anything great." Harry was confused.

"Your mother descended from Merlin herself. That was how she was able to use her life to save yours. As you know, other mothers tried what she did and none succeeded. Before you ask more, let me explain. You have often heard that Lily was muggle-born. Somewhere along the line, one of your descendants gave birth to a squib and no magical power was passed along until your mother. By that time, your mother was the only living descendant of Merlin and now you are too. Yes, Harry." Dumbledore saw that Harry had opened his mouth to ask something then had thought better of it.

"Um, isn't Petunia a descendant of Merlin too?"

"Petunia and Lily are step-sisters. Neither knew about it. Their mother had an affair and even she did not know which child was illegitimate as she was with both men during their birth. The whole matter was hushed up and not many people knew about it. And back to your powers, you have done magic without realizing it yourself. Tonight, for instance, you created a shield that would deflect any spell back to the caster. That was powerful magic and you did it without a wand. You were controlled by your feelings. I believe you can think of other times when such stuff had happened. There is a prophecy that states that the dual-heir of Merlin and Gryffindor would come of age at fifteen. I believe that will be when you can do magic beyond understanding. Now, only strong emotions would cause you to do something out of natural, as there is a lot of raw power within you waiting to be released. That is why I believe that Voldemort wants to get you before your fifteenth birthday."

Harry tried to grasp all Dumbledore had said. He wanted more than anything to be an ordinary kid but the possibility seemed less and less each time. Why must he always be the special one, the savior?

Knowing what must be going through Harry's mind, Dumbledore said gently, "I know this must be hard for you to absorb. You did not want all this responsibility anymore than I want for you. All that I can do now is to help you control and increase your powers. Think what you can do with them. Maybe even use them on the Slytherins, not that I am suggesting anything."

Feeling his burden relatively lighter, Harry asked, "So what can I do with my new powers, or my powers when I am fifteen which is about a week more?"

"As I said earlier, anything - telekinesis or wandless magic to you, apparating, even animagi."

Knowing that he can do these things and more made him feel better. "I can't wait until I'm fifteen. So what animal can I turn into?"

"Any."

"Uh, any? People have to train hard to even change into one animal."

"You're special Harry. You just have to picture that animal in your mind and you can change into it. Even for apparating, you just have to think of a place and that you'd want to be there, and you'd be there." Dumbledore smiled at Harry's surprised look.

******************************

Harry awoke on his birthday in anticipation. He could still remember the day last week that he came to Hogwarts and all that Dumbledore had said. The days had passed swiftly. He was rather bored with nothing to do except Quidditch - Sirius and Remus were both busy with some job Dumbledore had for them, and Dudley was studying hard. The only time he saw Dudley was at meals and for their morning jog. He did not even bother about Vernon and Petunia. - and spent some time in the library, learning new spells that he found he could perform with ease as his birthday drew nearer and nearer. He had written to Ron and Hermione to say that he was at Hogwarts but he couldn't write to them all day. He couldn't even tell them about his new powers as Dumbledore had said that it was better if he kept it to himself except for him, Sirius and Remus.

He hopped out of his bed and found Pig - Ron's owl, Hedwig, and a tawny owl he did not recognize awaiting him with packages. He untied them and started opening his presents.

_Dear Harry,_

Happy Birthday! Hope you like the present we got for you. All the Weasleys pitched in for it and it's really good. It is a trunk with many different compartments that can be keyed to open and close to your own password and can be reduced in size too. There's an instructional manual somewhere to tell you how to set it. Here, everything's fine. Dad, Percy, Bill and Charlie are more busy that ever, trying to round-up more people to defend against You-Know-Who. I wanted you to come over to live with us but Dumbledore said you were safer at Hogwarts. Have you heard? Hermione's in Bulgaria, visiting 'Vicky'. Anyway, hope you have fun at Hogwarts. You can practice Quidditch, not that you need to. Bye.

_Ron_

_ _

_P.S. Oh, I forgot to ask when you are going to Diagon Alley to get your stuff. I'll be there on the last week before school starts. Maybe we can meet there._

Examining the gift, he could only 'Ooh' and 'Aah' at it. Anyway, his trunk was in a condition for changing so this came at a right time. He grinned at the tone of irritation in Ron's note at Hermione for visiting Krum. He knew that Ron liked Hermione. Writing a note of 'Thanks' to Ron and the rest of the Weasleys, he sent Pig on his way and turned to examine the other presents.

_Dear Harry,_

_Happy Birthday! I'm having loads of fun in Bulgaria with Victor. We have really become close friends, but nothing more. With some help from Victor, I found these two great books that are like the Bible for seekers or so Victor says. I'm worried about you after the Death Eaters incident. I agree with Dumbledore that it's safer to stay at Hogwarts. I've been looking up on protection spells for you. Maybe we can work on them when Ron and I return to Hogwarts. Anyway, have fun and take care._

_Hermione._

Harry chuckled as he read the letter. From the package, he could already tell that it was books inside. Trust Hermione to find a so-called 'Bible for Seekers'. Well, if anyone could find it, it would be she. Maybe he could work on it since he had so much free time. And her reaction to him being in danger was typical. Next, he picked the package from the tawny owl.

_Dear Harry,_

_Hope you like this present. Happy Birthday!_

_I'm fine and on Hogwarts business with Olympe._

Take care.

_Hagrid_

Enclosed was a locket with his parents' photo on one side and his on the other. He almost cried when he saw it. It was so thoughtful of Hagrid to get it for him. Suddenly another owl flew in and he turned to relieve it of its burden.

_Dear Harry,_

_Just want to wish my godson a Happy Birthday!_

_I think you're going to like your birthday present. Why don't you open it before you read on?_

Harry immediately pounced on the long package he recognized to be from Sirius and was amazed that he had gotten another broomstick when the Firebolt was still working fine. He noticed the Marauder's Map enclosed. "He must be filthy rich," Harry grinned as he thought of his godfather.

It's the best broomstick available at the moment and I thought my godson should only own the best. It's called a Laser and was just available in the market a few days ago. Actually, it's from both me and Moony and we do hope that you like it. (Are you kidding? I love it." Harry chuckled as he read on.) Also enclosed is the Marauder's Map with specially enhanced features. We heard that you lost yours and so we made one for you. It only works at your command and has many protective spells. You can figure out the other features on your own. 

Sorry that both Moony and I can't be there today. I had hoped to be able to spend time with you on your birthday but we have to do stuff for Dumbledore and at the moment, defending against Voldemort is too important. We will be back home this coming weekend before another mission. I talked to Dumbledore and he said that you could come. I also heard about your new powers and I am so proud of you. This place is called Lupin's Manor. To come, you can either use Floo Powder or just think hard of the place since you can apparate.

_Send me an owl if there's anything amiss. If not, see you then._

_Snuffles_

After his usual morning jog with Dudley and an apology for not getting a birthday present from him, - he wasn't able to get one, considering that he haven't left Hogwarts since the Death Eaters incident - they went to breakfast together. He was surprised to see that there was a cake for him. Dumbledore said that the house elves had baked it for him. Those teachers that were at the table also wished him 'Happy Birthday', and Vernon and Petunia looked shocked to see the nephew they detested be so well liked among the people here. Well, Snape wasn't there or else they would have someone to concur with. Harry also wondered at Snape's absence as he was usually there at mealtimes, then dismissed the thought and proceeded to enjoy his birthday.

Harry spent the rest of the day happily. Dudley took a break from classes that day and Harry had fun showing Dudley around Hogsmeade. He also loaned Dudley his Firebolt and tried teaching him to fly. Dudley wasn't really successful but after many failed attempts, he finally seemed to get the hang of it and started enjoying flying. He won't be a natural but with practice, he would get more comfortable about being in the air. He was amazed at the dives Harry was able to make and knew he would never be as good as his cousin. Lunch and dinner were also wonderful with many of Harry's favorite food appearing on the table. He wondered how the house elves knew what he liked to eat and grinned when he thought of how Hermione would react to this - he hoped that she had got over 'S.P.E.W.'. He went to bed that night having spent one of the best days of his life.

Over the next few days, Harry spent more time in the library, trying out more and more difficult spells to test his limit. So far, he had been able to do them all. He did not realize the entent of his powers until he tried. He had also tried his hand at animagi. For the first time, he decided to transform into a stag like his dad. He realized that he looked exactly the same except for the scar on the animals' forehead. He tried transforming into other animals too, succeeding each time, and each time, the animal had a scar on its forehead too. He also went to Hogsmeade to try apparating since apparition was impossible on Hogwarts grounds. He apparated to Privet Drive and back successfully. He was amazed at everything he could do.

That night at dinner, Harry heard Dumbledore's voice, _"I've been observing you these few days and you have been doing great even without guidance. But I should warn you not to apparate to anywhere without telling me first. There might be death eaters about."_

Initially, Harry flushed at Dumbledore's compliment before realizing that Dumbledore spoke in his mind. Stunned, Harry turned to look at Dumbledore who looked composed as usual, and thought back, _"Er, Professor, is that you?"_

Seeing Dumbledore surreptitiously nodding his head, Harry thought back, _"But how?"_

_"Many powerful wizards are telepathic or in easier terms, can mind-talk. Both of us can send thoughts to each other as we are both powerful."_

_"So I can't talk to someone like Ron like this?"_ Harry asked.

_"You can because you can send thoughts to his head and read his mind. But he can't read your mind, that's why you have to send thoughts to him."_

_"Doesn't that mean any powerful wizard can read my mind?"_ Harry asked, shocked that all his secrets would be known.

_"No. You are a powerful wizard and sub-consciously, you are blocking your thoughts. Only a more powerful wizard can read through your blocking. Sadly, you are the most powerful wizard here. I might have been just as powerful at my prime when I defeated Grindelwood, but now I'm getting older and do not have as much strength and vibrancy as before."_ (A/N: Added this little part since not many of you are keen on Harry being stronger than Dumbledore. I figured the Dumbledore's old and therefore does not have much stamina to hold on in a duel and fight Voldemort as long as Harry. He can still do great stuff, just tires more easily. Therefore, I made him as more of Harry's mentor.)

Harry saw Dumbledore's eyes twinkling and asked, _"Can I read other people's thoughts then?"_

_"You can if you want to though it would be chaotic for you to be listening to thoughts all the time. If you so wish to listen to another's thoughts, you have to focus on the other person's mind."_

_"That's cool."_

_"Well, I advise you not to go around reading everyone's thoughts. Everyone has their own secrets and you'd be invading their privacy. Read only when necessary."_

_"Yes, Professor."_ Harry agreed though he knew he would somehow end up reading some Slytherins minds and maybe when…

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A/N: See the box below. Please review. Flame me if you must as long as it's constructive criticism. Any error, be it spelling or whatnot, do let me know. I don't have a beta reader and I'm in the midst of exams and studying, so my hands and my mind might not be functioning properly. =)

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	2. Sirius, Remus and…Cho?

The Heir - Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They all belong to the gifted Joanne Kathleen Rowling so don't sue me! All I have are my plot and my computer =).

A/N: I did a little revision to the end of the previous chapter since so many of you are against Harry being more powerful than Dumbledore. I don't think I can write as fast as I like though, since exams are coming up so please be patient with me. Don't be deceived by the short time I took for this chapter. Others will take longer to be uploaded.

Sirius, Remus and…Cho?

The coming Saturday, Harry made his way to Hogsmeade early in the morning, intending to apparate to Lupin Manor. He was eager to see Sirius and Remus, as he would have someone else to talk to about all that had happened to him since he arrived at Hogwarts. He also never actually just spent time hanging out with them before as when they met in the past, it was because of trouble or one in need of the other's help, so this time he was looking forward to enjoying the day with the two adults closest to him. Though the summer did not start off well, with the attack on the Dursleys home, this looked to be the best holidays he had ever had. He thought hard of the two words 'Lupin Manor' in his head, not sure of how the place looked like or where it was. He hoped that he would not get lost or even worse, splinched. Since he had no apparating license, he wondered what the Ministry would do if they found out about him apparating illegally. He could have gone by Floo Powder but he always felt sick when traveling by it. And the great speed and rocky ride on the Knight Bus made him cross that idea out of his head. So far, apparating had been the least 'painful' way of transport. He felt as if he was pulling off a steep dive on his broom when apparating.He felt the now familiar whooshing sensation come over him and found himself standing in front of a sprawling mansion. He was shocked that Remus could own such a massive place and wondered for a while if he was at the wrong place. Then he noticed the unmistakable words at the gate - 'Lupin Manor'.

"Gosh, this place is huge. I never thought that Remus could be so rich. Looks can really be deceiving." Harry chuckled as he thought to himself.

Noting that the gate was locked, he tried to apparate past it but he found himself remaining at the same spot. Finally, he concluded that there must be some anti-apparating charm on it like Hogwarts. That could be why he landed outside and not in the grounds when he first arrived. Wondering how to get in, he paced about in front of the gates. When his eyes finally caught sight of a doorbell, he nearly laughed out loud at himself.

"Hmm…not living at a Muggle home for a while made me forget all about the simple invention of the doorbell."

He pressed it and waited for someone to let him in but the house remained as silent as when he first came. He finally figured that nobody was at home. Seeing that it was still pretty early, he decided to loiter about the surrounding area and come back later. Sirius had mentioned that they were on a mission and they might have been held back for a while. He threw one last glance at the place to see if anyone might have come to open the door, but to no avail. Sighing with resignation, Harry turned and trudged down the street to see if he could find somewhere to pass his time until Sirius and Remus returned.

He spotted a café nearby and decided to grab some breakfast since he had left Hogwarts that morning with none in anticipation to see his parents best friends. "Luckily I remembered to change some Muggle money at Gringotts last summer," he mused. He paid for his breakfast and made his way to a vacant table in the near empty café. As he ate, he thought about all that had happened so far in the summer. He was afraid that since Voldemort could not get him, he would turn to his friends. Ron was rather safe, living in a family of wizards but Hermione was Muggle-born. At least she was visiting Krum; she might be safer there. But then again, Voldemort can strike anytime and anywhere. Maybe he could ask Dumbledore about putting protection spells on them. It might not help much but it would be a start. There had to be a way of protecting them.

"Harry…Harry…" he had been so caught up in his thoughts that he did not hear someone calling him. He looked up into a feminine face looking worriedly at him.

"Cho!" Harry exclaimed, turning red as he noticed how close she was. "Er…what are you doing here?"

"I thought I should be asking you that since I happen to live near here," Cho replied with faint amusement.

"Oh," Harry blushed even more. Seeing her made him feel a swarm of butterflies in his stomach. "I'm…er…visiting but nobody was home."

A tense silence came upon them, neither knowing what to say, both caught up in their own thoughts. He had liked her since his third year but he was uncertain how she felt about him. After all, he had 'killed' her boyfriend. He knew they were close, yet he could not stop liking her, and that made him feel all the more guilty. He thought that it had been just a crush which would eventually fade but it had somehow turned into something more. When he saw her heart-wrenching tears after Cedric's death, all he wanted to do was to draw her close and comfort her. "Maybe I would have a chance with her after all, now that Cedric was dead," the thought came out of nowhere but he quickly suppressed it, "You killed her boyfriend. You saw her misery. You'd be lucky if she doesn't hate you." Seeing Cho deep in thought made him all the guiltier. Sadness clouded her face and he knew that she hasn't fully healed from Cedric's death. The emotional scars were still there, hurting her deeply inside, no matter how she tried to disguise it.

Cho had been stunned to see Harry. She had been taking a walk, enjoying the morning when she spotted him. Seeing him just brought back all the memories that she had tried to push aside. Cedric was technically her boyfriend yet she knew that she wasn't in love with him. He adored her and she did not know how to let him down without hurting him, so she kept procrastinating. She valued the friendship they had before they became a couple and did not want to lose that. In the end, she did not even have a chance to tell him. She knew that Cedric wanted to win the TriWizard Cup for her. The thought that he might not die if she had broken up with him earlier kept crossing her mind and overwhelmed her with guilt. What was worse? She realized that she cared more for the guy sitting in front of her than the guy who died.

"Are you okay?" Harry finally broke the silence, unable to bear seeing her face contorted in sadness. "You looked like you had a lot on your mind."

"I'm fine. Just thinking…" Cho sighed.

"About Cedric?" Harry asked tentatively.

Her whole expression crumpled and tears welled up in her eyes. "It had been difficult, to say the least. My parents are trying to make everything seem normal but my friends seem like cats walking on hot bricks when around me. It's like nobody understands." Words just poured out of her.

"I understand, Cho. I really do. Cedric and I…we became closer during the course of the TriWizard Cup."

"How do you get over all that you've gone through without feeling different?" Cho asked, wiping her eyes.

"I don't…" Harry muttered.

"But you seem to…"

"I get nightmares, Cho. I've been having them for a long time." Harry said wryly.

She remained silent for a while before reaching for his hand. They understood each other.

"Do you think you can tell me about it? I mean it's all right if you do not want to relive the events. You're the only one who knows the whole truth and I just thought to ask."

"It's okay. It was all my fault." Harry told her all that happened at the end of last year. He thought to leave some parts out but he chose otherwise, thinking that she deserved the truth. After all, she was close to Cedric. "Now Potter, you don't deserve her so stop thinking about that," he resolved to himself.

"In other words, I killed Cedric. I'm a murderer." Harry concluded, thinking that he must revolt Cho now that she knew the truth.

"No," Cho said vehemently, "you did not."

Amazed that she could think this way he continued softly, "If it wasn't for me, Cedric would still be alive. He would be here with you and Voldemort would not have risen again."

"You. Are. Not. Guilty." Cho punctuated each syllable with emphasis. "It was Voldemort and he would have risen even if all these had not happened."

"You said his name," Harry was surprised that someone other than he and Dumbledore called Voldemort by his name.

"After all that happened, it seems silly to be afraid of his name. He would come whether you say his name or not." Cho dismissed his surprise. "Promise me that you will not feel guilty, Harry. Voldemort wants you to feel guilty and he'd be delighted to see that you're doing as he planned."

Thinking through all this, he realized that what she said made sense but he couldn't stop thinking that somehow, if not for him, Cedric would still be alive. "But then again, it was indeed Voldemort who flung the final blow," Harry thought selfishly before he forced the thought aside. Maybe it wasn't totally his fault. He can't forgive himself immediately but, "I'll try," he found himself saying to Cho.

"Thanks Harry. I'm really grateful that you've told me everything. I know it must be hard to talk about it." Cho tried to ease the tension in him.

"To tell you the truth, I feel better after getting it off my chest. I haven't talked much about it and…I wasn't sure how everyone would react to it…I mean, it was already bad enough when people found out that I was a parselmouth…"

"You know you can count on me," Cho remembered how everybody shunned from him in his second year.

"Yeah, thanks." Both of them knew that they had just shared something special. How ironic that neither talked much to each other before yet the sharing of a common sorrow brought them together.

"Hey, sorry but I have to leave. I told my mum that I was only taking a walk but I've been ages. Fancy seeing you here. This was sure unexpected." Cho grinned apologetically.

Harry was glad to see her back to her normal cheerful self after that rather somber conversation. "I'll walk with you. I'm done here anyway."

"Oh okay. So who are you visiting anyway?" Cho asked curiously.

Harry nearly said Sirius but caught himself in time when he remembered that his godfather was still a wanted criminal. "Re- er Professor Lupin."

"He lives here? I haven't seen him around before." Cho was taken aback to hear that Harry was visiting their ex-Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. She guessed that they must be rather close even though he had already left the school.

"Yah. He lives at the end of this lane." Harry spotted the Lupin Manor ahead.

Just then, Cho stopped in front of a rather big house. "That means he only lives a few houses down from me as this is home."

"It looks nice," Harry remarked.

"Thanks, would you like to come in?" Cho asked.

"Maybe some other day. I'm free the whole holidays and I have nothing better to do at Hogwarts. I think Professor Lupin should have reached home by now." Harry blushed as he finally realized that he had spent the morning with the girl he liked.

"So you'll only come because you have nothing better to do," Cho teased. "Anyway, why are you at Hogwarts?"

"Oh, death eaters attacked my relatives home so Dumbledore thought it was safer to be at Hogwarts."

"Were you injured?" Cho tried to hide her worry for him.

"Nope. It's just…now all my relatives are at Hogwarts too." Harry said with a wince.

Noting his expression, she asked, "I take it that they don't like it there."

"They detest it. They do not want to have anything to do with magic."

"Must be tough living with them," Cho commented.

"Beyond tough but recently my cousin's treated me better. He just found out that he's a wizard." Harry grinned as he told her about the Dursleys.

"No wonder you're bored. You only have books for company." Cho smirked. "Anyway, I should go in now. Send me a line when you're coming. I'll be happy to help keep you from dying of boredom. See you then."

"I'll owl you. Bye."

Cho watched Harry leave and realized that there was something different about him. He was no longer a scrawny boy anymore. He had grown to at least six foot and muscles were appearing. Even his voice seemed deeper and he carried himself better too. He was becoming really good-looking, not that he wasn't before. (A/N: Bon, here's your description.) She blushed when she realized what she thinking and was glad that he wasn't there to see her. How could she feel this way towards him when Cedric just died? "Maybe because you always felt that way towards him," a voice said in her head before she could stop it. 

Harry made his way up to Lupin Manor, cursing himself for always being so flustered around her. He hoped that she did not notice any of his lapses. "You'll regret it if you don't give yourself and her a chance. Maybe she even likes you." Harry tried convincing himself but he was not really successful. When he finally reached Lupin Manor, he was caught in two minds, whether to go for it or not. Even if wanted to, he did not think that he had the guts. Cho was popular and beautiful; he was just one of many guys. She wouldn't choose him. Before he could press the doorbell, Remus fell upon him.

"Harry," Remus exclaimed, "We were so worried about you."

"I came by earlier but you weren't at home so I went for breakfast." Harry explained.

"We didn't expect you so early. Anyway, it's almost lunchtime now, Harry," Remus said full of mirth. "Anyway, we better go in. Sirius is turning the house upside down because he couldn't come out and find you."

"Sorry, I didn't realize that time had passed so fast." Harry said apologetically as Remus said something that caused the gate to open.

The moment he entered the house, Sirius enveloped him. "I was so afraid. I thought death eaters had tried to get you again."

"I'm alright Sirius. I just met a friend and talked a while." Harry flushed a little at this.

"So which friend is this? I thought you only knew Ron and Hermione." Sirius teased.

"I'm not antisocial Sirius. It's Cho…Cho Chang from Ravenclaw." Harry replied.

"I remember Ms. Chang. A delightful pupil. Beautiful too. Does she live near here?" Remus grinned.

"Ah…so Harry likes someone…you have to introduce her to me someday." Sirius kidded.

"Sirius," Harry exclaimed, turning bright red, before continuing, "She lives a few doors down from here, Remus."

"So enjoyed your time with her, Harry? You must have been glad that we were not home…eh Remus." Sirius carried on teasing.

"We were talking about Cedric, Sirius, her ex-boyfriend." Harry said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Sirius immediately turned remorseful.

"It's okay. I have to get used to hearing about him." Harry gave a wan smile.

"Hey both of you, what about lunch? I'm starving." Remus interjected, leading the way to the dining room upon seeing their nods of approval.

"Remus, your dining room is like a mini-mausoleum." Harry exclaimed at the size of it.

"I take that as a compliment," Remus replied dryly.

"Oh, Cho said that she had never seen you around this area before. How come?" Harry asked curiously.

"I just moved in." Remus said before continuing when Harry looked at him expectantly, "When I was a werewolf, the Ministry froze my account in Gringotts so I had nothing. Only recently did I get back all that I owned when I was proven no longer a werewolf."

"How could they do that to you just because you're a werewolf?" Harry was miffed.

"That's the Ministry. They don't take kindly to werewolves, vampires and such. They think all these are evil." Remus explained.

"But it's unfair." Harry said indignantly.

"It is but that's the way it is." Remus said as he looked towards Sirius who had silently sat through the conversation.

"He's like Ron," Harry said when he followed Remus line of vision and saw Sirius gorging his food without a care, "Food is most important."

The day carried on in the same fashion. Harry had fun as Sirius and Remus showed him the pranks the Marauders used to play in school. They even advised him to try it though Remus mockingly warned him against it in his class. But Harry also learnt that day. He found out that Sirius had been an auror before he was sent to Askaban and since Lupin was also experienced in Defense Against the Dark Arts, they both showed him some spells that would be useful. Both were amazed to see Harry picking up the new spells so easily and mutually agreed that Harry would grow up to be one of the most powerful wizards in history.

"I think you should teach Defense Against the Dark Arts instead of me. I do not even know some of the spells you do." Remus teased after Harry showed them what he had learnt from books in the library.

"You know, I don't feel any different despite the new powers I now have. It's only my spells coming out stronger and can hold on longer than before." Harry suddenly said.

"I guess it's more of a gradual change, so you won't feel anything." Remus replied, while Sirius seemed to have a lot on his mind as they worked on spells. 

In fact, hearing that Harry was powerful made Sirius no less worried about his godson. He knew that Harry would eventually have to face Voldemort and was afraid that he would not be able to protect his godson like he was not able to protect James and Lily. He was proud of his godson's achievements yet he felt inferior as a godfather. He was supposed to be the one protecting his godson and it seems that it would end up the other way round. He also felt worried that Harry would not be able to take all the increased pressure and vowed not to add to Harry's burden and just support him all the way. Only Harry had a chance to defeat Voldemort and Sirius did not want Harry to be distracted by him.

As if knowing what Sirius was thinking, Harry spoke to him when Remus decided to let the two spend some quality time alone. "I did not want to this powerful. All I wanted was to be an ordinary boy. I'll be fine, Sirius. If what Dumbledore says is correct, I can defeat Voldemort."

"I hope so, Harry. I know you don't want me to worry but I can't help it. You're my responsibility. So give me the privilege of worrying, alright?" Sirius ended with a smile.

"Alright, but do protect yourself. It's a two-way thing, I can worry about you too." Harry returned the smile.

"Now, tell me about this girl you like," Sirius grinned devilishly, changing the subject swiftly.

"Sirius, I don't -" Harry tried denying the fact, flushing as he did so.

"You like her. I know my godson better than that." Sirius replied.

"Fine, I like her," Harry gave a sigh of exasperation, "But I don't think she likes me."

"Have you looked at yourself?" Sirius asked incredulously. "You are handsome, Quidditch seeker, defeater of the Dark Lord for four times, a brave Gryffindor…etcetera…etcetera…"

"She was Cedric's girlfriend. I don't want to be replacement for him. Moreover, I'd feel guilty if I…" Harry explained.

"You're finding excuses because you don't dare to try. Where's your courage, Gryffindor?" Sirius interrupted teasingly.

******************************

Harry returned to Hogwarts that night having thoroughly enjoyed his day. He wanted to apparate back but Sirius told him to return by Floo Powder. He did not want Harry walking back from Hogsmeade alone in the dark as who knows what might happen. He even added that he had the license to worry. Dudley was waiting for him in the Gryffindor common room when Harry walked out from the fireplace.

"How was your day?" Harry asked as he dusted dirt from the fireplace off his clothes.

"I had tests today to pass into the third year. Hope it goes fine. Otherwise, I'll be behind time, and then I'll have to study second year stuff again. Then I might not be ready for the fifth year by the end of the holidays." Dudley said wistfully.

"Don't worry. It'll be fine. You're already progressing much faster than I did." Harry replied.

"Oh, I forgot to say that Dumbledore had finally found a house for my parents. It's only a few kilometers from Hogsmeade so Dumbledore can still protect them when necessary and I can visit them at times."

"Good. I hope that they don't complain over the place Dumbledore got them." Harry said blandly.

"I don't think they will. Dumbledore brought us over to take a look today and it's huge. They just have to renovate it to their satisfaction. So how was your day?"

"The best," Harry proceeded to tell Dudley all about it.

"Not bad. First, you got to meet your dream girl. Then, you saw your godfather and your favorite teacher. And you even got yourself an invitation to your dream girl's house." Dudley chuckled.

The next morning, Harry went to Dumbledore's office. He wanted to ask about his friends' protection as soon as possible. He did not want them to be in danger because of him. "Sugar Quill," he said to the gargoyle that swung for him to enter.

"Good morning Harry. What may I do for you?" Dumbledore asked.

"Morning Professor."

"So what brings you here this morning?" Dumbledore asked again.

"I just wanted to ask if you know any good protection spells." Harry asked, a little flustered over his request.

"What do you need them for Harry?"

"You see, I think people close to me will be endangered and knowing how stubborn Ron and Hermione are, I expect that they won't leave me alone."

"I can see that much," Dumbledore said in amusement.

"I am afraid that Voldemort will go for them if he can't get me so I wanted to know if you knew a way of protecting them?"

"Instead of protection spells, why don't you try portkeys?" Dumbledore suggested.

"Why portkeys, sir?" Harry inquired.

"Voldemort might be able to break down protective spells easily. If you use portkeys, the person just has to activate it to be transported away from there to safety. You can make the portkeys to activate by passwords instead of by wand or by time. But it is not easy to make one as it is very advanced magic."

"I think I get what you mean. I would like to try making it, Professor." Harry said resolutely, adamant that he would protect his friends from danger.

"Here, take this permission slip. You will find a book to help you on it in the restricted section of the library. Come to me if you need any help."

"Thanks Professor," Harry said gratefully before turning to leave.

"Oh, Harry. It's better to have the portkeys transport the person to Hogwarts. It's safe here. If Hogwarts is unsafe, I would advice you to transport the person to The Burrow or Lupin Manor. And do use smaller items to make it, it'd be easier to conceal."

"Um Professor, can I ask you a question?" Harry suddenly remembered something.

"Yes Harry," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled with amusement.

"Why didn't you do this for my parents?"

Dumbledore immediately became pensive. "That is something I will always regret. We never even thought of it as we assumed that the Fidelius Charm would be enough. Alas, if only we constructed portkeys for your parents."

"Thank you for telling that to me Professor. I'll go and look up on the portkeys."

******************************

A/N: To tell you the truth, I never expected so many to review my fic. Such a pleasant surprise =). Thanks so much for all your wonderful reviews. The irony is that my other fic is 11 chapters and this fic already has more than twice as many reviews as that. Anyway, do carry on with your reviews.

**vmr: **Thanks for your review.

**~*Piper Halliwell*~:** Thanks and I will.

**Savita Yoshima aka Louisa:** Aw…I'm blushing. I can never be compared to her. Thanks anyway. =)

**Zenbu Hotaru Megumi: **Thanks. Hope you still think so as I write more.

**samantha: **Don't worry. He won't be perfect. The flaws will creep in. Thanks for reviewing though.

**Pipsqueak:** Thanks. Check back weekly. I think that's the fastest I can get with my exams and stuff.

**Kathy M Kidman:** Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm honored to get your first ever review. =)

**angel eyes: **Will post as fast as I can. Thanks.

**Trio Maxwell:** Thanks for reviewing. More will be coming though I'm not sure if it will be good. My brain doesn't function that well all the time.

**princess of mordor: **I'm keeping my mouth shut now but I'm not even sure myself if it's going to be R/H. I can safely say that Hermione will not end up with Krum but who she ends up with is still pending.

**Sirius*Padfoot*Black: **Thanks and this is not my first fic. The other's suspended until I can think of how I'm going to continue. Don't worry, I'll see this fic through but it'll be quite long before it's over. Be patient alright?

**Gohan Ichijouji:** This story is definitely a multi-chaptered one so more chapters will be out as time goes along =).

**kitkat: **I tried rectifying the Dumbledore part to make it that Dumbledore would be as powerful if he wasn't that old. Dumbledore will still help him along the way though. He's powerful but he still needs to rely on Dumbledore's experience and guidance. Even though he's powerful, he will still be getting into bad scrapes and the Slytherin part will be coming along…

**Starlight:** I'll try to oblige and write as fast as I can. Glad you liked the story. Thanks.

**Bon:** Oh, puberty will definitely have started. Since Harry's not met any of his friends yet. I did not put physical appearance in the previous chapter.

**Sandra Solaria Dees:** Thanks for reviewing. I know the Dudley part it a little rushed but I needed more time for the rest of his summer hols so there's less time spent at the Dursleys. And I guess Dudley would have slimmed down from exercise so the broom can still hold his weight.

**meg:** Writing more is not a problem but time is tight. I'm writing as fast as I can though.

**Jessie:** Oh no. Have I taken too long? I am really trembling in fear about the punishment, lol. Glad you liked the fic and I'll try my utmost to meet the time limit =).

**Jillian:** Thanks so much. I'm really blushing 'cos this is nothing compared to JK's works. Love your story on H/C too. Are you continuing it?

**elvengirl:** Oops…so it was a tad confusing. Care to tell me where so I might revise it if I can? Agree that Dudley is a little extreme but then again, I'm an extremist =). And Harry will have flaws. Don't worry about that. Thanks for adding me to your favorites and I'll try to write more soon.

**Freda Potter: **Thanks for reviewing.

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**Pampered Tigeress: **Wow, the longest review I've ever had, though mostly in exclamation marks, lol. Yes, you got your point across. =)

**mouse:** As I said, I'm not a H/H person. H/C rocks though I read other ships as well.

**Lucky:** Will write more. Love your story too, esp. since you took the name of my broom to use. I should copyright it next time. Just kidding, it's alright with me. =)

**kate: **Yes, I will. Just be patient. It's a virtue I'm sad to say I don't have but I'm certain you do =).

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**Brian Potter, Son of Harry and Hermione: **This isn't the end. But I just got to say that this story wouldn't be Harry/Hermione. Just thought to add this since you are their 'son'. =)

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	3. The Holidays Stretches

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They all belong to the gifted Joanne Kathleen Rowling so don't sue me! All I have are my plot and my computer =).

A/N: Sorry for taking a longer time. My 'O' levels are looming and I'm trying to put in as much effort as I can into studying. Since I'm basically a sloth, I find I have much more to cover than most…=). I better stop before I really start whining… You guys have really been generous with your reviews and I do hope for more with this chapter. Nothing in this fic is finalized so do leave any suggestions if you have any. And a little note, this chapter's rather boring to me, cause it's just preparations before the new school year which should start in the next chapter if everything goes as planned. Since this chapter took so long, both because of my lack of time and ff.net being down, it's extra long. Hope you like it.

The Holidays Stretches

Harry spent the next few days, practically living in the library. At times, he was so engrossed that he even skipped his meals. Everything was going on as normal as it could be; so much so that it seemed that danger would inevitably strike soon.

"Argh, when would I get this right?" Harry muttered in frustration when his latest attempt at making a portkey exploded in his face.

He had followed the steps to the T. But every time he said the final incantation, it exploded. Why couldn't he get this right? Finally, after days at it, he decided to take a break before he blew the whole place up with his attempts. He didn't want to ask Dumbledore for help yet. He felt like he needed to prove himself, and obviously, his pride stood in the way.

For the first time in the past few days, he found himself with nothing to do. He had finished his homework a long time ago and did not feel like imposing on any of the professors in the castle. Just the thought of spending time with Snape made him shudder. The last option left was Quidditch but he did not enjoy playing alone. With no one to challenge him, there was simply no fun in chasing the snitch around the pitch. Then, he had a brain wave. He instantly grabbed his broomstick, dashed out of the school, and apparated away from Hogsmeade. This time, instead of thinking of the place he wanted to go, he thought of the person he wanted to see, hoping that it would work and he would reach the correct place.

He arrived in a room with rather classic furnishings. There was an antique wooden desk and dresser, and a large woven rug lay in the corner. He turned and saw a big sleigh bed topped with an old-looking quilt. But the person under the quilt was what made his breath ragged. She looked so peaceful and beautiful in her sleep. Suddenly, she moved, making him freeze. He was relieved when she did not wake up and realized that he had been holding his breath all the while. He did not know how to explain his presence. Then dread struck him. How was he to explain that he knew how to apparate. He wasn't even to talk about his new powers. His mind told him to scram before she woke up but his body refused to listen. He could only stand there staring helplessly at the slumbering form of the girl he loved.

As he tried to force his eyes away from her, his Laser accidentally hit the edge of the desk next to him with a loud thump. He prayed that the sound would go unnoticed but she had indeed stirred from her sleep. (A/N: I believe it had been pretty easy to guess who she is…I nearly made her someone else, like Hermione or Ginny just for fun =), but decided not to…)

"Harry," Cho exclaimed as her eyes fell on him, "What are you doing here?"

Harry could only grin weakly. "Er, you invited me to come."

"Well, I expected you to at least notify me when you're coming…and how in Merlin's name did you get into my room?" Cho demanded.

"I…er…you know…um…" Harry frantically tried to think of an answer.

"Just the truth would do," Cho said with amusement at his discomfort.

Finding no way to wheedle out of this situation, Harry finally replied, "I er…apparated."

"Harry, how did you really get here?" Cho said in disbelief.

"I really apparated, amid illegally," Harry smiled.

"How?" Cho was confused.

Thinking he had already said too much, Harry just shrugged saying, "I was bored so Professor Dumbledore taught me."

"And why would he teach you?" Cho asked suspiciously, knowing there was more to the story than what Harry said.

Harry squirmed and looked away from Cho, tapping his fingers against the desk beside him unconsciously. "I asked him so…"

Grinning at the flustered state Harry was in, Cho remarked, "You have to learn to lie better, Potter. Any astute Ravenclaw would be able to call you bluff."

Knowing he was being backed in a corner, Harry knew he had no choice but to tell the truth. So with some initial stammers and halts, he tried to explain to her what Dumbledore told him.

Absorbing so much at one time was not easy and Cho admired how Harry had handled all this so far. She knew that she would not be able to do it. She figured that he had not told anyone all this before and knowing better than to show pity or any expectation of him, she tried to lighten the mood, smiling wickedly, "Think of what you can do with your powers. Man, I would not want to be on the wrong side of you. How I pity the professors this year. What havoc you can raise in class."

Maybe he had been reluctant to talk about it at first, but it turned out to be great to finally share all this. It wasn't that Sirius, Remus and Dumbledore were not helpful, but he had been skeptical about their high hopes on him being the Savior as if it was his duty to save the world. Maybe it was, but it did not feel so pressurizing talking about all this with Cho. She did not talk of what he could do to vanquish Voldemort and how he should live his life but just ordinary stuff and it felt kind of comforting. Grinning in return, Harry said cheerily, "What about now? Since you are at a disadvantage," motioning at her sitting helplessly on her bed.

Cho blushed, having forgotten that she was in bed when he arrived, before teasing, "Now Potter, you have to learn more about being a gentleman. Any well-brought up man would leave the room immediately upon seeing a lady in such a state," pointing to herself in a flourish.

It was Harry's turn to turn red. He instantly replied, "I'll be outside then," before bolting from her room into the hallway.

Outside, Harry mentally chided himself. He should have sent a note before coming then it wouldn't have been so embarrassing. He shouldn't have even apparated here. Then he need not even tell her about his powers. But he didn't feel as opposed to the idea now. After pacing outside for a few minutes, he wondered how long it took for a girl to dress or more of why it took a girl so long to dress. As he waited, he wondered why the house was so silent. He prayed that her parents weren't at home. Then he would not have to explain his presence all over again. He looked around and saw that the house was very well furnished, almost as impressive as Lupin's. He guessed that her parents must be of some importance.

Just then, Cho strode out of her room, saying chirpily, "Now that I'm decently dressed, are you going to join me for breakfast or would you rather watch me eat."

Harry froze for a while - Cho looked stunning - and tried to keep himself in check. "I'll eat. I'm starving."

"Of course, seeing that you came here first thing in the morning." Cho teased with mock-sarcasm, leading the way to the dining room.

"You can't blame me for being too eager to see you," Harry grinned mischievously.

"Not to the extent of barging into my room when I'm sleeping. A girl needs her beauty sleep." Cho smiled witheringly.

"I'll try to remember next time though I don't think you need anymore sleep. You're beautiful as it is." Harry said sincerely, reddening a little.

Cho pretended not to hear him, though her heart pounded, "There won't be a next time, Mr. Potter. You are going to notify me before you appear."

Disappointed that she showed no reaction, Harry tried to act as if nothing had happened, teasing, "Maybe like five minutes before I arrive should be sufficient right?"

"Don't try it, Potter," Cho retorted with laughing eyes, "Or I'd have to resort to drastic measures."

"Yeah, like what?" Harry challenged.

"Um, maybe no breakfast for one." Cho threatened cheerfully as they approached the dining room.

Seeing the empty table, Harry said with dismay, "You can't be serious. My stomach's growling."

Amused at Harry's expression, Cho offered, "That's cause I wasn't expected up so early."

"I know you can't be that mean. Oh, sorry about waking you then. How long is it going to take for the food to be ready?" Harry asked eagerly, looking unrepentant.

"It still depends it you're even going to eat. I'm still considering. Maybe if you're obedient." Cho chuckled.

They went on bickering cheerfully all through breakfast, enjoying each other's company, learning more about each other along the way. Harry described to Cho about all the adventures that happened to him since he started coming to Hogwarts. She was amazed at how he had survived Voldemort all these times. Hearing all these about him just made him seem even more special. She always knew he was different and there was a lot of talk around him in school but there was never much details about all his meetings with Voldemort. Dumbledore never talked much about it and nobody really asked so most of what had ever happened was shrouded in mystery. It was amazing what Harry had done and, she know, will carry on doing, yet she feared for his safety as well. He was Voldemort's principle target and even though his powers had increased tremendously, there was still danger.

Harry also learnt more about Cho. He couldn't believe that she loved Potions class despite Snape being awful. She said that it was because she was good at it but he knew that even though she refused to admit it, she was good at the other classes as well. Like him, she loved quidditch and spent a lot of her free time at it. But she didn't just practice quidditch with her broomstick, she liked doing acrobatics kind of stuff with it too. He was surprised, as he never thought that broomsticks could be used for other stuff before. He also found out that her parents were aurors with the Ministry and they believed that Voldemort had returned unlike Fudge who still denies the fact. He realized that he really enjoyed just talking to her. In the past, he had never really gotten to know her, yet he loved her for her cheerful and friendly attitude. Getting to know her better just made him realized that if his love for her had been superficial, now he knew that he really loved her. But still he didn't intend to do anything about it. Grimacing to himself, he mused, "The Cedric factor was still in the way."

Seeing his grimace, Cho asked, "Is there anything wrong?"

"Huh, oh nothing." Harry returned from his reverie.

"Thinking about something?" Cho softened as she saw lines of worry on his brow.

"Hard not to after all that's happened." Harry sighed a little.

"Want to talk about it?" Cho asked tentatively.

"Nah, it's nothing," Harry forced a bright smile.

She knew he had not fully healed from last year and knew better than to ask more. "So what do you intend to do today?"

"Maybe some quidditch."

Cho arched her brow. "Do you intend to play in the house or outside for muggles to see?"

This time Harry really grinned. "Oh, Lupin's house has a Quidditch pitch."

"Great, I haven't been practicing Quidditch." Cho was unable to conceal her excitement.

"Ready to challenge the master?" Harry smirked.

"Yup. Ever ready to defeat you." Cho retorted.

"Doubt it…" Harry was pumped up by Cho's competitive spirit.

"Well, I got a Firebolt over the summer, so you can't say I've got an inferior broom." Cho smiled.

"What if I say I changed my broom?" Harry remarked.

"There can't be a better broom," Cho snorted, "Don't tell you got the prototype of the Laser."

"Maybe," Harry said blandly.

"Omigosh, how did you get it? Now you'll be even more difficult to beat." Cho moaned.

Harry grinned, "I think so too."

"But I'm up to the challenge."

They spent the rest of the day playing quidditch, only stopping to raid Lupin's kitchen for food when they were hungry. They didn't play with the snitch since neither brought it but they had fun challenging and racing each other. Cho even tried to teach Harry some of the acrobatic stuff but he was so inept at it that Cho couldn't stop laughing at him. However good he was at being a seeker, he was a hopeless case at this acrobatic stuff. Harry also let Cho try out his broom at times, during which she marveled at the speed of the Laser. They were really enjoying themselves and were reluctant to leave. In the end, they agreed to meet up at Diagon Alley to get their school supplies next week.

******************************

When Harry reached Hogwarts, he was still feeling elated after having spent a thoroughly enjoyable day. But he was surprised to see Dumbledore, Sirius and Remus waiting for him at the Great Hall.

"Hey, why are all of you here? Is anything wrong?" Harry asked as Sirius came up and enveloped him.

"Where were you, Harry? We thought something had happened to you." Sirius demanded.

"Oh sorry, I went to visit a friend," Harry said apologetically, realizing that he had forgotten to notify Dumbledore where he was going, like he supposed to, "And I forgot to tell anyone."

"Next time remember to tell me, Harry," Dumbledore said, with more amusement than worry.

Harry grinned in return, "Yeah, I will."

"Make sure you do, Harry. This time you were lucky not to have been spotted by any death eaters. There have been more chaos around lately and when you were gone, a missive came in that Cornelius Fudge was attacked."

"Er Professor, is he -," Harry asked.

"He's dead, Harry. The Ministry is currently looking for a new Minister. Now that Voldemort has returned, nobody wants to be Minister."

"Fudge never really believed Voldemort has returned anyway," Harry said snidely.

"Now Harry, you shouldn't say that even though Fudge is dead."

"Sorry," Harry apologized, though he did not look at all remorseful.

Dismissing him, Dumbledore said, "You should be more careful now that the death eaters are striking more freely. Killing Fudge is only the beginning. Now, if you would excuse us, I have something to talk to Sirius and Remus."

Dumbledore and Remus left while Sirius lingered behind. "Harry, take care of yourself and don't leave Hogwarts unnecessarily, alright? It's safe here."

"I will Sirius. You should take care too. I mean, you're still a wanted man, and - Oh Sirius, now that Fudge is dead, will you be pardoned?" Harry asked excitedly.

"I guess Dumbledore will try to find a way for them to pardon me. For now, I'll still be in hiding." Sirius replied, smiling a little, "I'll be fine as long as you don't try your disappearing act again."

"Then I better tell you that I'll be going to Diagon Alley next week to get school stuff," Harry grinned.

"What day are you going? I'll come along."

"Saturday, but won't you be on a mission or something."

"Yeah, I will. A mission of going shopping with my godson." Sirius smiled.

******************************

During the week, Harry went back to trying out on his portkeys. After much effort, he finally managed not to blow up the empty classroom he had been using and to come up with a portkey. He had programmed it to send the person to the Burrow but was hesitant to try it out himself. He was afraid he might end up at some unknown place or something might happen to him on the way. Remembering that he had to notify Dumbledore where he was going and trying to procrastinate testing the portkey, Harry slowly made his way to Dumbledore's office.

"Afternoon Harry," Dumbledore said as he entered the office.

"Er Professor, I just wanted to let you know that I am going to the Weasleys, testing out the portkey I had made."

"Your portkey is completed?" Dumbledore asked, pleasantly surprised.

"Yup, but I'm not sure if it would work," Harry sounded a little reluctant.

Dumbledore chuckled, "There's a first time for everything but I have faith in you Harry. You are a special boy with extraordinary powers and you can accomplish what many adult wizards might never accomplish."

"Thanks Professor. I sure hope it works. I don't want to get into any mishap or whatever…"

"Why don't you leave from here? At least I'll know if anything happens. Let me know when you return. I want to hear about your experience."

"Sure, Professor," Harry flashed what he hoped was a confident grin, before muttering the incantation to be transported.

Harry felt the same pulling, uncomfortable feeling as he departed from Dumbledore's office. To his immense surprise, he rolled into the Weasleys kitchen with a bump. Everyone was shocked to see him. Luckily, after that incident with Cho, he had planned an explanation of his presence, except that he had forgotten to ask Dumbledore's permission. He just decided to go ahead with it and tell Dumbledore later.

"Harry!" all the Weasleys that were currently at home exclaimed as he tumbled into the kitchen.

"Hey." Harry grinned at their surprise.

"What are you doing here? How did you get here? Does anyone know you're here? Are you in danger?" They bombarded questions at him simultaneously.

Still grinning, Harry replied a tad amusedly with his fabricated story, "I'm fine. Dumbledore made me a portkey so I can visit."

Fred and George sighed, "Oh, we thought it would be something more interesting."

"Do you want anything to eat, Harry?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"No thanks, Mrs. Weasley. Hogwarts have fed me well," Harry replied with a smile.

Just then, Ginny Weasley came down the stairs. She did not know he was there and blushed when she noticed him. "Hi Harry," she said softly.

Harry turned around and was stunned to see that Ginny had matured into a rather beautiful woman over the summer. He admired her looks but he also knew whom his heart belonged to. "Hi, how's the holidays been for you?"

"Great," Ginny grew even redder. This was practically the first time Harry Potter acknowledged her.

"Oooh…" the twins teased upon seeing Ginny's blushing face.

She immediately turned on her brothers furiously, "Don't you two have better things to do?"

Seeing that Ginny was about to explode and knowing that her temper could be even worse than Ron's, Harry turned to Ron who had been silent the whole time since he arrived. "So, how's it going?"

"Ronniekins' pining for Hermione," Fred who had escaped from Ginny's tirade cut in.

Harry thought that Ron would explode like his sister but he only sighed, "Hermione is having fun in Bulgaria with Vicky. I mean, what does she see in him and…er…not me."

Harry was surprised to see Ron finally acknowledging that he liked Hermione and just kept silent.

"I mean, he's rich, he's famous but he can't even pronounce her name properly," Ron continued complaining.

"Ah little brother, you have to learn to treat a girl right," Fred smirked mischievously, "Victor is polite and charming to her."

Ron replied sarcastically, "Like you know how to treat a girl. Oh, I forgot, you have Angelina. I wonder what she sees in you."

"You're with Angelina?" Harry asked, hearing this for the first time.

"They got together at the Yule Ball last year and are still together," Ron answered when Fred flushed a little while George just chortled.

"Congrats, Fred," Harry grinned, "So what about you, George, any girlfriend?"

"Nope, still a swinging single," George replied cheerily.

"Ha, don't believe him. He likes -." George covered Fred's mouth before he could say more and dragged him away.

"Those two…" Ron shook his head at the retreating twins before remarking, "But I do wonder whom George likes though."

"I guess we'll find out when school starts."

"So how're things going for you?" Ron asked.

"Everything's great. At least I do not have to suffer from Vernon and Petunia now that I'm at Hogwarts." Harry replied.

"What about your love life? Mine's miserable enough." Ron said a little wistfully.

"Just ask Hermione out. She might just like you too. Me, I have no love life to speak of," Harry advised.

"We just quarrel all the time," Ron said dismissively before saying mischievously, "But you…hmm…my sister's still blushing around you. Won't you ever like her back?"

"Ginny!" Harry exclaimed before flushing a little.

Ron replied exasperatedly, "Who else? I only have one sister. And I'd rather have you go out with her than any other guy."

"Um, she has grown up since I last saw her but I don't think I'll ever feel that way towards her."

"There goes my only hope. Now my sister will be fed to the wolves." Ron said dramatically.

"Sorry, but I don't think of her as anything else than a little sister," Harry chuckled.

Harry spent about another hour or two at the Weasleys before making his way back to Hogwarts. He had enjoyed bantering with Ron again, and notified him that he was going to Diagon Alley on Saturday. He found out that Ron and Hermione were both selected to be prefects and teased Ron relentless about it while wondering if he was a prefect himself. Since he was at Hogwarts, he hadn't been sent his book list but he expected Dumbledore to pass it to him before he left for Diagon Alley. It was great being with his best friend, not only discussing their miserable love lives though Harry did not mention about Cho, but basking in each others company. They had gone through a lot together and Harry felt most at home at the Weasleys. They were like the family he never had and he held them close to his heart. Taking the portkey back to Hogwarts, he arrived at Dumbledore's office and told Dumbledore what he had told the Weasleys before he forgot again.

"So I get to take the credit for your portkey. That doesn't sound too bad." Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling.

"Well, at least it worked. I guess I can start making them for my friends. But I can't say that you made them all, can I?" Harry queried.

"Maybe not. We'll think of something to say when the time comes. If not, we can just tell them the truth."

"Oh, alright Professor. I guess I should be going," Harry said before remembering, "Oh, I'm going to Diagon Alley on Saturday. I think Sirius is coming as well but I haven't heard from him."

"Sirius had already told me about it. He will meet you there in his animagi form. And remember to take Dudley and his parents with you to get his supplies too."

"You mean, Vernon and Petunia are also coming," Harry asked incredulously.

Dumbledore replied with amusement, "They might not like magic much, but they've grown to take it better after what had happened and they would also like to accompany their son. I will tell them to come here on Saturday morning and you all can go together. Here's yours and Dudley's book list. And congratulations, you are one of Gryffindors' prefects this year."

******************************

Saturday came rather quickly and Harry found himself dreading the encounter with Vernon and Petunia. But to his surprise, they did not look at his with their usual disdain, though they were not too friendly with him either. Dudley was excited at finally getting to go to Diagon Alley and had annoyed Harry all week by continually asking about it. They had come to Hogwarts by Floo Powder but Harry guessed they would have forgotten how to use it and proceeded to tell them about it.

"So you just toss a pinch of this powder into the fireplace and shout Diagon Alley. I will go first so that you all don't arrive in some unknown place. Just follow me." Harry said as he made his way to the fireplace.

He soon found himself in Diagon Alley. He dusted his robes and waited for the Dursleys to turn up. But suddenly he heard a scream. He dashed in the direction of it and heard someone calling his name but he ignored it and carried on running. He saw a crowd standing near Knockturn Alley but nobody dared to go near. He was shocked when he saw Nagini - Voldemort's snake, there. It was slowly advancing menacingly on a woman who kept shrinking back until she hit the wall. He guessed that it was this woman who screamed. Harry began his approach to the snake when he felt a presence beside him.

"Cho," Harry exclaimed.

"You run fast, you know," Cho panted before continuing, "Well, don't look so surprised. You knew I was coming today."

"Yeah, but -." His words were cut off by another piercing scream from the woman. "Stay back. I'll get Nagini to leave."

"Nagini?" Cho asked, confusion written on her face.

"It's Voldemort's snake. Saw it last year." Harry said shortly, before moving towards the snake.

"Harry," Cho started as Harry turned to her, "Be careful alright," with worry creasing her beautiful face.

Harry nodded and started talking to the Nagini in parseltongue. "Leave the woman alone."

Nagini turned and replied, "So, you've come, Harry Potter. We meet again. My master asked me to pass a message to you, but maybe I should finish my meal first. After all, you've spoilt my feast."

"You're not going to eat the woman. Just say your piece and leave." Harry yelled.

Nagini looked around before replying, "Maybe, I'll let her go this time. Anyway, my master says that you might be powerful but he is still more powerful. Beware this year. It is not only you who are going down but your friends too." With that, the snake slithered away.

Harry turned pale and did not seem to realize people coming to ask if he was all right and to thank him for getting rid of the snake. He did not care if Voldemort wanted him - that was nothing new - but he would protect his friends at all costs. As he turned to walk back, he nearly tripped over a dog at his feet. Looking down, he exclaimed, "Snuffles."

Before he could say more, Cho was at his side again, "You know this dog, Harry? It was barking at the snake the whole time."

Sirius looked at Cho with interest, sniffing at her feet, licking her ankle. After all, this was the girl his godson was interested in, or at least he thought so. She was beautiful but that was all he knew about her.

"It's m-Professor Lupin's dog." Harry was bemused at Sirius arrival and his sudden interest in Cho.

"Oh, it looks pretty smart." Cho looked down at Sirius.

"Yeah, it's well-trained," Harry tried to keep himself from bursting into laughter. Suddenly, Harry remembered that the Dursleys should be still at the fireplace where he had sprinted from, "Shucks, I'd forgotten about the Dursleys."

"Who?" Cho asked, falling into step with him as he made his way through the crowd.

"My relatives. Dudley is getting his school supplies and Vernon and Petunia came along." Harry gave a sigh of relieve as he saw the Dursleys were where they were supposed to be.

"Where were you, boy? We have been standing in front of here for so long and people keep looking at us strangely. As if we are the strange ones." Vernon muttered darkly as Harry approached.

"There was a snake and I went to look. I also met a friend along the way." Harry twisted the tale a little and introduced Cho to his relatives. "I guess we'd better go to Gringotts first."

"Coming along?" Harry asked Cho.

"Sure. I've got to get some money anyway."

As they went along their way, the Durleys stared at the place in wide-eyed wonder. Dudley was amazed at all he had seen, while Vernon and Petunia just tried to look unimpressed with the wizarding stuff. They arrived at Gringotts and Harry showed the Durleys where they could change their muggle money into galleons, sickles and knuts, before excusing himself to go to his vault. Both Harry and Cho went together, leaving Sirius outside, as the goblins did not allow any animals in their building. Along the breakneck pace ride to their vaults, Harry told Cho about the message Nagini brought. He figured that since she knew almost everything, he could also ask her opinion over this.

"So what do you intend to do? Isolate yourself from the rest of your friends? Nobody would buy that, Harry." Cho was incredulous about his 'noble' intention.

"But Voldemort is powerful. Even portkeys might not work." Harry saw confused expression and started to explain about the portkeys.

Cho was amazed that Harry managed to make a portkey. She knew it was really difficult. "Hogwarts is well-protected. And if they can portkey to Hogwarts when they are not at Hogwarts, it should be fine."

"But what if Hogwarts is penetrated?" Harry defended himself.

"You know that nobody is going to leave you alone so you can get that thought out of your head. If Hogwarts is really penetrated, we'll all fight together. Please Harry, tell me you aren't going to hide yourself or something." Cho pleaded.

Harry grinned at her anxious expression, "For now, it will only going to be portkeys. I know none of my friends will allow me to do anything stupid."

"At least you know it's stupid," Cho muttered.

Both of them collected enough money to last them for the year and proceeded to meet the Durleys outside. Harry was not surprised to see Cho's full vault. After seeing her house, he knew her parents were rich. They went around Diagon Alley. At Flourish and Blotts, they got their books and stationery. Dudley had to get a mixture of first year to fifth year books. He was also actually staring at the stacks of different books in wonder until Harry pulled him away. They went into shop after shop to get their supplies and even Ollivanders for Dudley's wand that did not take too long to choose him. They also went to Madam Malkin to get their robes. Harry's ones were too small for him and he had also wanted to get new dress robes while Dudley needed to get fitted for his new robes too. Cho had also decided to get new dress robes and Harry stared as she tried on different robes. Dudley also decided not to get an owl as he could share Harry's when necessary and he thought that his parents would probably strangle his owl if he sent a letter home with it. So, he was surprised when his father suggested that he get an owl. He chose a tawny one and decided to name it Marshall.

Cho and Harry bantered and argued cheerily as they made their way around Diagon Alley. Sometimes Dudley entered into their conversation but most of the time he just listened, as he did not really know what they were talking about since he was not with school with them before. Surprisingly, Vernon and Petunia did not have any snide remarks and kept to themselves as school supplies were being bought. Sirius just enjoyed watching his godson interact with Cho and hoped that Harry was making progress. He also kept guard, as he was afraid that Voldemort might have another surprise for Harry. He chided himself a little for not getting there earlier but he consoled himself by the fact that nobody was injured. As they completed their shopping, Harry was surprised not to see the Weasleys as Ron had told him by owl that they would be here today too. Harry decided to wait a while and see if the Weasleys came while the Dursleys left first. Dudley had promised to spend the rest of the day with his parents after being separated for some time.

"How about an ice-cream?" Harry asked Cho after the Dursleys left.

"Sure," Cho replied as they headed for an ice cream at Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlor.

After getting their ice creams, they were making their way to an empty table when Cho chuckled, "Looks like your dog wants an ice-cream."

Harry looked down and saw Sirius looking mournfully at the ice creams. He asked, "Do you want an ice-cream?"

As Sirius nodded, Cho remarked, "First time I see a dog begging for ice-cream."

Harry grinned, "Told you it's smart."

Sirius got to lick his ice cream from a platter while Harry and Cho sat at one of the tables outside, enjoying the sun, and reveling each other's company. They finished their ice cream and were intending to head to Quality Quidditch Supplies when Harry heard his name being called. Ron had arrived with…Hermione. He had thought that she was still in Bulgaria.

"Hey, where are your folks?" Harry said to Ron and Hermione.

"Mum's with Ginny and Fred and George disappeared to God knows where," Ron grinned, motioning to Cho, "So, aren't you going to introduce us?"

Harry said exasperatedly, "Haven't you see each other before."

"No," Cho teased, shaking her head insolently.

Cho got to know more about Ron and Hermione as they walked towards Quality Quidditch Supplies. When Harry asked Hermione about her trip to Bulgaria, she noticed Ron looking downcast and had to fight back her laughter. She had to ask Harry about the relationship between the two.

As they walked in, Ron was excitedly talking to Harry about the new Laser broomstick while Hermione left for the bookshop. Ron contemplated going with her but pushed aside the idea when he saw the new Laser broomstick in the display of the shop. "It's supposed to be almost twice as fast as the Firebolt at full speed. With it, you can beat everyone hollow." Ron said rapidly in excitement before continuing with a grin, "Not that you can't beat everyone at the moment."

"Oh, I'm not so sure about that," Cho cut in, grinning.

"Thanks for your vote of confidence," Harry laughed. 

"Oh and Fred and George bought the whole family Nimbus two thousand and ones. I wonder where they got the money from." Ron rambled on. 

"Really, that's great. I was going to offer you my Firebolt now that I got a Laser for my birthday but that's fine. I'll just keep it for spare." Harry said with a secret smile to himself. 

"What? You got a Laser. You've got to be kidding. Who could be so rich as to give that to you? I heard that it costs like the same amount as a car." Ron exclaimed. Cho had disappeared to explore the shop on her own and seeing that, Harry had no qualms telling Ron who gave him the broomstick.

"Well, there's only one person who's rich and would buy me such presents. You know him too." Harry had an annoying grin on his face, pointing to the dog at his feet.

"Sir-," Ron suddenly said, "How come I did not see him earlier?"

"Shush, you don't want the whole world to know, do you? Yeah, it was he. Moony contributed to it too." Harry replied before teasing, "And you probably did not see him cause you were too eager to see me."

"Moony?" Ron was confused for a while before continuing, "Oh, it's Lupin."

As they looked around for a while and caught up with Cho who was deep inside the shop, Harry asked, "So did you tell Hermione that you liked her?"

Ron looked stricken that Harry was so open with his words but Cho said delightedly, "Oh, so I wasn't wrong when I guessed that you liked her."

"Can everyone see my feelings?" Ron demanded.

Both Cho and Harry had fun teasing Ron after that. Harry also decided to get a broomstick for Dudley who seemed to enjoy being airborne. He had shown that he cared for Harry and Harry wanted to show his appreciation. Harry thought that the Firebolt or even the Laser would be too difficult for an amateur to handle and settled for a Nimbus two thousand.

When Harry told the others of his plans, Cho remarked mischievously, "I'm so lucky to be your friend. I also expect a new broomstick as a present from you soon."

Harry grinned devilishly, "Well, you can dream on. Anyway, you've already got a Firebolt."

Ron who had remained silent, absorbing the fact that his best friend really liked this girl, added, looking a little dismayed, "You've got a Firebolt? Seems like everyone upgraded their broomsticks over the summer."

After a while, they left the shop, making their way to the bookshop to look for Hermione, who seemed to have been lost in the world of books. Surprisingly, they found her with only about half a dozen books. Ron crept up behind her and pulled a book out of her hands.

"Hey," Hermione whirled around while Ron held the book above her head, meaning that she couldn't reach it. "Ron, quit it, return me my book."

"Can't I read it?" Ron asked innocently, as he started flipping the pages of the book.

"As if. You try to touch as little books as you can, Ron," Hermione snorted.

They started bickering in the middle of the shop to the amusement of Harry and Cho, who stood by a corner, not wanting to get involved in their argument. With both Hermione and Ron, tempers flared hot and cold easily and it was better not to get on the wrong side of either.

"Since I love reading too, I can't blame Hermione for being frustrated with Ron," Cho mentioned after a while.

"Oh no, another bookworm," Harry groaned.

Cho swatted his arm playfully. "But I don't really read the same kind of books as Hermione, since her interest is mainly academic. I prefer literary stuff."

"Still, you like reading. That's the same thing." Harry lamented.

"And you say you don't. If I'm not wrong, someone had been resorting to reading so as not to die of boredom the past few weeks." Cho chuckled.

"Maybe," Harry agreed reluctantly.

"Look how those two are going at it. I wonder when Ron will finally admit to Hermione that he likes her."

"Doesn't look like it will happen soon anyway," Harry snorted, "He's a wimp when it comes to such stuff."

"And you're not?" Cho cocked her head at him while Sirius seemed to be laughing at him feet, "Even your dog agrees."

Harry looked down, not willing to look in her eyes as he flushed red. He admitted that he did not dare to tell Cho that he liked her but he had a good reason for it right. It's just that the reason seemed like an old excuse for his cowardice. "Er…" Harry was saved from answering when Ron and Hermione came up, seemingly having forgotten their argument.

"Harry, I told my mum I'd meet her about half an hour ago. Coming?" Ron asked grinning.

"Nah, I've got to be back at Hogwarts around now too. Tell your family that I said hi." Harry said apologetically.

"Alright. I'll see you in school then." Ron said as he strode away, not waiting for Hermione. Maybe they hadn't resolved their quarrel as Harry thought. It amused him how they could make such small matters blow out of proportion.

"See you then, Harry," Hermione said, lugging her books with her as she chased after Ron.

"What about you? Going back or what?" Harry asked Cho as his best friends disappeared out of sight.

"Back home," Cho replied as she whipped something out of her pocket, "By portkey."

"Wow, my favorite way of transport," Harry said sarcastically.

"It's all right if you know how to land and it only takes a while," Cho teased.

"You're saying I fall on my bum each time I use a portkey," Harry's eyes glittered dangerously though he was fighting back laughter.

"Uh huh," Cho did not seem intimidated by him.

"I don't," Harry argued indignantly.

"No?" Cho grinned.

"Maybe a few times," Harry allowed.

"Only a few times?"

"Fine, I admit it. It happens almost every time. Happy?" Harry was exasperated.

"Yup. Well, I got to go now. See you in school." Cho pecked Harry on his cheek and left before Harry regained from his shock.

Cho was surprised at herself too. She did not even know why she did it. It was just that he looked so adorable, standing there, trying to look frustrated at her that she couldn't resist. Harry was no better. He did not expect it and was wondering all about when Sirius barked at his foot, trying to get him to move. He took the hint and immediately apparated back to Hogwarts with his stuff. He did not think he wanted to go through Floo Powder again. When he arrived, Sirius was already standing there, grinning at him.

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A/N: Oh, forgot to mention above that my subscription for support services is finally activated. Hurray. I just thought to add that in case any of you want to put me on author's alert. =) Hee hee…maybe I shouldn't say that…I'm not really that popular, am I?

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	4. End Of The Holidays - School Begins

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They all belong to the gifted Joanne Kathleen Rowling so don't sue me! All I have are my plot and my computer =).

A/N: I'm really, really sorry for taking such a long time. My exams are just over, on the 22nd of Nov to be precise. I've gotten a part-time job since then so even though I have more time than before, I'm usually dead tired by the time I reach home. This chapter is not as long as what I usually write but still, it's better than nothing =). I'll write more soon. I could have written more as I've already started on the next chapter but I just had to leave a cliffie. Anyway, I do hope you like this chapter and looking forward to more reviews. You all have been generous with them so far and I'd love to see more. I also want to ask if you have any preferences for pairings as even though I know who to pair Harry with, the rest are still not decided on yet. Thanks.

End Of The Holidays - School Begins

Harry could think of nothing else but that peck on his cheeks for the rest of the holidays. It gave him hope, yet it also brought waves of guilt.  Was she hinting something at him? He did not know. All he knew was - that day would be indelibly etched in his memory forever. From the moment she turned up while he faced Nagini to Sirius' teasing when he arrived back at Hogwarts, he would always treasure every second of it.

He laughed inwardly at himself as he eagerly awaited Hogwarts Express to arrive, or to be honest, for her to arrive. Dumbledore had given him permission provided that he kept alert and would apparate to a safe spot if danger approached. As he waited, he realized how the past few days had flown by. So much had happened in so little time. Arthur Weasley had been appointed the new Minister of Magic in spite of great opposition from Lucius Malfoy. Harry had immediately written to congratulate the Weasleys even though he knew that the Minister would have a hard job at hand. The great thing was that it would be much easier to build defenses against Voldemort now that the man at the helm of the Ministry believed that Voldemort had indeed returned. But that was still not what delighted Harry the most. Sirius had been pardoned. A statement had been released giving the truth of the whole ordeal that Sirius had gone through, with money offered as compensation. People were still wary around Sirius but it had only been a few days and Harry believed that they would warm up to him when they realized that he was on their side. Harry was just ecstatic that he had a real family now.

A horn blared, bringing Harry back from his thoughts, as the Hogwarts Express finally arrived. He watched the students streaming out, and looked out for Ron, Hermione and…Cho. He heard his name being hollered and saw Hermione and the Weasleys waving at him from a few meters ahead. As he made his way across, he noticed some students looking at him warily. He guessed that it was due to what happened last year and also whatever rumors had leaked out about the death eater attack at the Dursleys home. He sighed and bent his head, trying to ignore the stares. He had guessed that this would happen, what with the whole school's hostile treatment towards him in the past when the students found out that he was a parselmouth.

"Need some help there, Ginny?" Harry asked as he saw Ginny struggling with her cloak that had somehow gotten stuck at the edge of the door of the train.

Ginny blushed as she nodded, seeming to be unable to speak for the moment. Harry helped her to disentangle her cloak before turning to greet the rest of them.

But before he could say a word, George cut in, grinning wickedly, "So Ginny, maybe you'll have a chance this year after all."

While Fred joked, "You better name your intentions towards my little sister, Harry, or we'll have to kill you."

Ginny blushed even redder than before, if that was possible, before retorting, "I'm not 'little' anymore. What about you George? Fancy a chance yourself? I can help you drop a hint here and there."

Fred knew better than to provoke Ginny when she was near red-hot. Now it was George's turn to flush red, before he initiated a truce, "I'll not tease you about Harry if you stop talking such rubbish."

"Is it just rubbish?" Ginny asked innocently.

"You know what I'm talking about." George replied grimly.

"And what if I don't?" Ginny's lips started to twitch from her otherwise straight-faced expression.

"Ginny…" George said, with a warning in his tone.

The rest of them watched the two siblings going at it with great interest. Ginny's interest in Harry was widespread but there was no hint on George having a crush on someone else. This was something new.

******************************

Hogwarts, which Harry now knew like the back of his hand, came into view. As usual, they all took their seats in the Great Hall. Harry caught the first glimpse of Cho who was seated at the Ravenclaw table. He had felt slightly disappointed when he didn't see her at the train station but that was probably because he had been too caught up with George's and Ginny's conversation. Now as he looked toward her, the memory of her lips imprinted on his cheek came into mind again. He flushed a little as she caught his eye and waved at him. He waved back before tearing his eyes away from her to enjoy the sorting, wondering what song the hat will sing this year.

Some of the other students caught sight of the shared moment between Harry and Cho, and looked to him more warmly. They figured that if Cho did not blame Harry over Cedric's death, they should not as well. The Slytherins all raised an outcry when they saw Professor Lupin at the teachers' table and started pointing at him and gesturing to each other at the same time. The rest of the students did not mind seeing Professor Lupin back again even though they did not know that he was no longer a werewolf.

After the sorting, Dumbledore stood up to give the announcements and also to state that Professor Lupin is no longer a werewolf, to which the majority of the school cheered while the Slytherins jeered, due to a potion that had been discovered over the summer. He also announced, to great applause from the students respective houses that the head girl and head boy of the year was to be Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor and Roger Davies of Ravenclaw.

Harry enjoyed the feast, and though he spent a considerable amount of time staring at Cho, he managed to spoon food into his mouth and also tease Ron on his huge appetite. He also introduced Dudley to the rest of the house, to which the Weasleys who had seen him before were unable to conceal their surprise at the sight of an amicable and normal-sized boy. They still remembered the Dudley who was fat and a spoilt brat. How could he have changed to swiftly? Was this the right person they were staring at? Dudley seemed to settle in fine, getting along with many of his new housemates. It was as though he enjoyed starting life afresh with a new lot of friends who did not know about his past history. He had a chance to be different from what he was in the past and he grabbed it as if it was a lifeline.

As he looked towards the teachers' table, he saw Sirius in animagus form at Remus' feet. He wondered why this was so as Sirius' name was already cleared and he could be seen anywhere freely. He started to turn to ask Ron and Hermione but before he could, he caught hold of a strangely wistful expression on Snape's face. As he was debating it in his mind, Snape probably felt his stare and looked towards him. It was even weirder when Snape did not glare or sneer at his but just looked at him thoughtfully. He continued to stare but he felt someone shaking his shoulder.

"Harry, is there anything wrong," Hermione's concerned expression came into view.

"No, it's just that Snape seems a little weird." Harry broke out of his reverie.

"I don't see anything wrong with him," Hermione commented, while Ron who had been listening to them added, "He's probably thinking of ways to kill us."

"Ron!" Hermione cautioned. Just then, Snape who finally noticed the three Gryffindors interest in him, glared at them.

"There… He's glaring again. He probably just spaced out for a while." Ron said triumphantly.

But Harry still could not dismiss the thought that the greasy-haired Potions Master was somewhat different from what he had seen last term. He took one more glance at Snape before turning once more to Ron and Hermione to ask them what they thought of Sirius being there. In the end, what Hermione said made the most sense - Dumbledore was afraid that Sirius' appearance might frighten the students. But he still kept an eye on Remus, thinking to follow them out when they left.

"Hey, Re- Professor Lupin. Wait up for me." Harry shouted at the man and the dog that were some distance away from him.

"Hello Harry," Lupin smiled warmly at him, "What did you want?"

Panting a little after he had sprinted towards them, Harry replied, "I didn't know that Sirius would be here as well. And why must he be in his dog form?"

"Oh…" Lupin remarked, "You know that Sirius would not leave you alone at school." "He still feels the need to protect you even though you are more powerful than him." Lupin added as an afterthought, to the growl at his feet.

Harry started to protest but Lupin beat him to it, "It's also safer for Sirius to be here. And he would also not need to keep coming here to contact Dumbledore if he lived here permanently."

Harry wanted to protest some more but thought better of it and asked instead, "So do you think he can come with me sometimes?"

Lupin grinned and teased, "Of course, Harry. I won't have it otherwise. It's not easy to take care of a dog, much less a hyperactive dog." At another growl, Lupin added, "But seriously, it would be nice for you and Sirius to spend some time together, whether like this or maybe we could find a private place for him to change back to human too."

******************************

The first few days at school passed as normally as it ever could. All the students enjoyed catching up with each other over what happened during the holidays. Harry was seen as usual with Ron and Hermione but he also spent a great deal of time with Cho. Both of them could still remember the incident in Diagon Alley clearly at the back of their heads, yet they also seemed hesitant to approach each other about it. It was as if they each wanted more from each other but neither dared to initiate the next step in their relationship.

With his daily increasing knowledge and control over his powers, Harry progressed quickly in his lessons without any difficulty. He even surpassed Hermione, to which everyone was amazed. How did Harry Potter improve so fast over the summer break? Everyone tried asking him about it, both subtly and straightforwardly, but he declined to talk much about it, just mentioning that he did some reading over the summer when he was at Hogwarts and had nothing better to do. Ron and Hermione sensed that there was more to it but they also knew that he could be very stubborn and that it was best if he told them about it from his own free will. But they did feel left out at times when he left them to venture elsewhere alone or just couldn't be found, so they spent an increasing amount of time alone in each others company, to which Ron was pleased as he felt that he was making progress in his relationship with Hermione.

Unknown to them, Harry was with Cho most of the time he wasn't with them. They practiced Quidditch together, just walked about the school grounds talking and spent time in the library - looking up new spells, finishing homework or just enjoying each others company. To others, it might seem like they were already a couple but both of them studiously avoided the topic and seemed to be happy with the path their relationship was taking at the moment. Harry also took Sirius around with him sometimes, except to the library where he was forbidden access by the formidable Madam Pince, who did not know Snuffles' true identity yet. Anyway, she would probably rather have dogs in her precious library than one of the Marauders.

Though Harry had an easy time so far in all his classes, what surprised him most was Professor's Snape's new attitude towards him. He was not friendly, which Harry assumed that he would never be, but gone were the sneers, snarls and favoritism towards Slytherin. He still favored his house but he gave points to other houses more freely now. Maybe it would not seem so weird if Snape changed his attitude to the whole school but still took every opportunity to belittle him. Snape still held a grudge towards his father and him, but now, it was like he was equal with everyone else. Maybe Dumbledore made him do it or could it be that he actually felt remorseful? That doesn't seem possible but he had seen it with his own two eyes. Maybe he should ask Remus about it but he felt that if he wanted to ask someone, it should be Snape.

Dudley was having a great time in school, for once enjoying the fact that others liked him for who he is and not for his money or fear of him. His parents still tried to hide the fact that he was a wizard but at least they did not blatantly show their disapproval as they had when Harry found out that he was a wizard. He hoped that his parents were actually getting used to him being a wizard but he dared not keep his hopes too high for fear of being disappointed. He was satisfied as long as they did not show open dislike on his magical qualities.

******************************

"Harry, do you want to practice Quidditch later. You can help me improve myself to stand a chance for the Keeper position on the team." Ron found himself talking to thin air, while Hermione just glared as the conversation had once again shifted to Quidditch. It was not that she disliked the sport. Instead, she started paying it more attention when she realized how much the boy she liked was passionate about Quidditch. It was just that when these two started talking about Quidditch, it was a never-ending conversation that she would not be able to get a word in or understand.

"Um Mione, did you see Harry leaving?" Ron queried.

Hermione turned back from her thoughts and replied a little worriedly, "No. I thought he was still with us. We did come out of Charms class together so he couldn't have disappeared so quickly. What if something had happened to him?"

"Mione, he's been vanishing a lot recently. And in the end, he turns up fine too. Maybe he just needs some time alone to think or whatever."

"But-," Hermione tried protesting.

"He's fine. He wouldn't like it if we barged in on him." Ron explained patiently, as if talking to a child.

At that moment, Harry was at the library, trying to complete his homework despite the alluring distraction sitting across from him. He smiled, staring at her struggling with some Ancient Runes homework. She just looked so beautiful, with her face a little scrunched-up and her lower lip jutting out, deep in concentration. After a while, she looked up, probably having noticed him staring. He flushed a little as her eyes met his.

"What's wrong? Is there something on my face?" Cho asked a little worriedly.

"Nope," Harry replied with a smile.

"Then what?"

"It's really nothing. I swear." Harry chuckled.

"Seems like you've learnt to lie better but still, there's always space for improvement," Cho teased.

"Trust me," Harry said sincerely before trying to change the subject swiftly with a grin, "Though I've never seen a Ravenclaw struggling with homework. Aren't you people supposed to be completing you homework twice as fast as us mere mortals instead?"

Cho swatted playfully at him, "Well, such people don't have special powers like some people here."

"Hey, what do you mean by that?" Harry kidded.

"Nothing. And there was no pun intended."

"Uh huh. And here I was thinking of helping you with your Runes. Well, good deeds are never repaid."

"And why would I need your help?" Cho remarked cheerily, "After all, I'm a Ravenclaw."

"Hmm, if you want to complete your homework by tonight, I suggest that you take back your words," Harry put on a thoughtful expression.

After a few more moments of staring blankly at her work, Cho looked up to see Harry grinning knowingly at her. "So, are you still willing to help?"

Hearing the forced tone in her voice, Harry knew that Cho must not have asked for help often, but he still couldn't resist teasing her. "Let's see. Maybe if you…"

"No," Cho muttered before he could end his sentence, trying to stay serious though she was amused at him.

"No?" Harry asked, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

Seeing that he was going to take this as far as it would go unless he got his own way, Cho replied a little frustrated, "Oh fine. I need your help. So you can either help me or I'll…"

"Or you'll what?"

"I'll let you know when I think of it. So are you willing to help or not?"  A grin started to form on Cho's face.

"Maybe," Harry replied noncommittally.

"Harry," Cho smiled in exasperation.

"Well, since my expert help is needed," Harry paused for the effect while Cho punched him playfully, "Alright. Now shove over." As Cho stared blankly at him, he said with a mock-sigh, "How do you think I'm going to decipher Runes upside-down?"

Cho blushed a little as she noticed their closeness when he plopped down next to her but they soon got immersed in the Runes. She was amazed that he could do what she had struggled with easily despite him not taking the class. It was truly remarkable, and she realized for the first time, how powerful he really was.

A little distance away, Ron and Hermione saw the whole thing. Both were stunned to see Harry with Cho, and a little jealous that he was spending more time with her than with them. Though they knew that the two were friends, they never expected them to spend so much time together - they assumed that all the time he wasn't with them, he was with Cho.

"See, I told you that Harry wasn't in danger. He's in fact making progress with Cho." Ron said triumphantly, and on seeing Hermione's frown, felt even more jealous as he assumed that she liked Harry and now had no chance. "Why did every girl have to swoon over Harry Potter?" Ron mused angrily.

In fact, Hermione was fuming over Ron's 'I told you so' instead. He always liked to prove that he was one better than her but that was better than going unnoticed by… (A/N: Don't write off R/H as they still might have a chance.) "Yeah. You were right." Hermione said shortly.

At Hermione's tone, Ron was now angry for her. What did Harry see in Cho and not Hermione? "But we would not have found him if you had not decided to come to the library to get a book."

Surprised that Ron would even give her credit for coming to the library - a place he detested, Hermione was dumbfounded and just said a, "Whatever" which only fused Ron's anger.

******************************

_"Lucius."_

_"Yes, Master," One man stepped out from a group of hooded people and faced his master._

_"You had failed to capture Potter for me…" Voldemort snarled._

_"I'm really sorry about that Master. It won't happen again." The man groveled at Voldemort's foot._

_"Don't interrupt me. I haven't finished. Maybe I should reconsider giving you a chance. 'Crucio.'"_

_Laughing menacingly at the man writhing at his feet, Voldemort commanded, "You will obey me and me alone."_

_"Yes, Master," the man wobbled a little after Voldemort stopped the spell._

_"Now listen to me. I want you to get information out of that woman. She has been laughing at us and I won't allow that. If you don't get any accurate information out of her, don't come back and see me. Torture her and do anything to her but don't kill her. Remember that."_

_"But Master, how do I know if the information is accurate?" the man quivered._

_"How dare you question my orders, Lucius? You should be smart enough to know what to do or you would be better off dead. Now, leave before I change my mind about what to do about you." Voldemort threatened._

Harry woke up in the middle of the night feeling shivers down his spine. Who was that woman? What did Voldemort want from her? Is she related to him? Then he recalled that he had dreamt of a woman who was captured by Voldemort. If he did nothing, an innocent woman would be dead because of him. He thought of disappearing to save the woman but he himself acknowledged that it would be a foolish idea. Maybe it would be better if he spoke to Dumbledore. With that idea in mind, he immediately set out for Dumbledore's office, just remembering to grab his invisibility cloak, not caring about the time. As he entered Dumbledore's office, he took off the cloak and was shocked to see Snape, Remus and Sirius there together with Dumbledore. The gentlemen that were there were all shocked to see him too except perhaps Dumbledore who probably already knew what was going on. Nonetheless, he stared at him expectantly.

But before Harry could say anything, Sirius, being Sirius, pounced on him, questioning him about his well being anxiously. "What's wrong, Harry? Are you okay? Did something happen?" And also began poking him about, checking for any injuries he might have sustained.

All at once, Dumbledore said, "Let him speak, Sirius," while Remus added, "Sirius, he doesn't seem to be injured or cursed. Hear him out before you start getting nervous over nothing," and Harry protested, "I'm fine Sirius. I just had a dream that I thought I should tell Dumbledore about." Snape just stood in a corner, looking a tad amused at what was happening, which would be unlikely for the Snape of the past.

But Sirius immediately jumped at what Harry said, "Dream? What dream? Did your scar hurt? Do you need to go to the hospital wing? Someone, call Madam Promfrey."

"No, my scar did not hurt. I do not need to go to the hospital wing. If you could just calm down, I'll tell you about it." Harry tried to placate Sirius.

After a while, everything was back to normal, though Sirius was still on edge. Harry wondered at the expression of recognition on the faces of all the gentlemen in the room as he related his dream and how he connected it with the first. But before he could ask anything, Dumbledore spoke.

"Harry, I believe that you need to hear us out first." Dumbledore said gently. Seeing Harry nodding his head numbly, Dumbledore sighed before continuing, "The woman that Voldemort was talking about is Arabella Figg."

****************************** 

**Bon:** Glad that you liked that chapter. And I'm honored that you liked my story so much that it was the first you checked =). Anyway, just want to clear up one thing; I'm a girl, not a guy.

**Lucky:** Thanks. Do update your story. It has not been updated for some time.

**Creamy Mimi:** Thanks. Maybe I can turn you into a H/C supported huh =).

**Crystalite 104:** Thanks. Loved your fic too. When will you write more?

**Kate Potter:** Sure will. Thanks.

**don't wanna mention:** I'm honored to be thought of as a good writer. I'm writing the fic just to amuse myself and to think that so many people review it makes me feel honored. If you can, let me know the spelling mistakes. I'll change it. Thanks for your lovely comments.

**Lil B:** I'll complete this story and write more if I have time. I already have trouble updating chapters quickly =). Thanks.

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**Malnaix:** Thanks for reviewing.

**Surfer Dude:** Okie, I finally updated. Sorry, but I was really busy last month. Will try to write faster. Yah, I simply love H/C =).

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	5. Revelations

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They all belong to the gifted Joanne Kathleen Rowling so don't sue me! All I have are my plot and my computer =).

A/N: A tad faster than before. As always, I hope you enjoy this chapter and do review. I'm pleased with the development of the story so far and hope you find it so too. Thanks for all your encouragement so far.

Revelations

"Arabella Figg?" Harry repeated, the name not registering in his mind.

"Yes, she is part of the group of us who had tried to stop Voldemort before and it now seems that we would have to again," Dumbledore replied.

With that, Harry remembered something Dumbledore had mentioned at the end of last year, "She's part of the 'old crowd', right? But how is she related to me?"

"A flicker of a smile crossed Dumbledore's somber expression, "I thought you would have guessed by now, Harry. She's that old lady living next to you."

"You must have got it wrong Professor, the lady in my dream was young and beautiful, not old and haggard."

Suddenly Sirius spoke up, trying to lighten the atmosphere, "You thought she was beautiful. What about -?"

"She was a beautiful older woman," Harry interrupted sharply, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Back to the topic," Dumbledore started saying while both Harry and Sirius grinned apologetically, "That old woman was actually a young woman in disguise. She is a powerful witch, and a close friend of your parents, and Sirius and Remus here. As neither of these two were capable of looking after you, she took over the job."

"Then why couldn't she have taken care of me instead of the Dursleys?" Harry asked, frustration evident in his voice.

"I'm afraid that is something I can't tell you yet, Harry."

"But -," Harry began to protest.

Remus said gently, "Listen to Dumbledore, Harry. He will tell you when you are ready to know."

Harry wanted to protest some more but stuffed the words down his throat as he saw the pleading expression in Remus eyes. He just felt that he couldn't disappoint Remus.

"Now that you know that part of history, let me also add that Arabella being captured by Voldemort was how the death eaters managed to invade the Dursleys residence."

"Why? How?" Harry was confused at this but of information. If Dumbledore had used the Fidelus charm on him, whatever happened to Arabella would not affect him.

As if Dumbledore knew what he was thinking, the question in his head was answered almost immediately. "We did a tricky piece of ancient magic on you, requiring the love of a person to keep you from being detected. Alas, this spell would not work if the person's more than a hundred meter radius away from you. We could have used the Fidelus on you as we had on your parents but Voldemort anticipated it after remembering that we had used it before and did the counter-spell before we could put the spell on you."

"So now that Voldemort's captured Mrs. Figg, I'm vulnerable to him." Harry stated.

"It's not Mrs. Figg. It's Ms. Figg." Sirius piped up, before sobering, "You are not vulnerable to him at Hogwarts. And I did the spell on myself to protect you too."

"So that's why you are staying at Hogwarts," Harry said rather accusingly.

"I also stayed because I wanted to be with you." Sirius added, his love for his godson sparkling in his eyes.

Harry was touched by what he saw and was glad that he had Sirius though he still said, "But you might be sacrificing your life, like Mrs.-Ms. Figg."

"She isn't dead yet, Harry. In fact, both Remus and I are trying out best to save her. And I don't think I'll die either. My godson will save me before anything could happen to me."

"You're putting a lot of weight on my shoulders," Harry teased, though the rest sensed a grain of truth in his words, "You can't save Ms. Figg. She is with Voldemort and he will kill you if he finds you."

"No, most likely he'll use me for bait first. And we have to find her. She is my-our close friend." Sirius stated adamantly.

"No Sirius. You can't put yourself in danger. If you find her, I'll go and get her. It's my duel with Voldemort anyway." Harry said just as stubbornly.

Sirius sighed, "You are just like James, stubborn as a mule. Anyway, our dear friend Severus here had already told us where Arabella is. We just haven't figured a way to save her."

A little shocked that Sirius addressed Snape by his name, Harry realized that this confirmed that Snape was indeed working as a spy for Dumbledore against Voldemort. Thinking that if he could not stop Sirius now, he could at least stall for time in the future, Harry said, "If you have to go to Voldemort's lair, tell me first all right. I don't want you, and Remus too, to suddenly disappear."

******************************

"So Harry, are you and Cho… um… a couple now?" Ron teased as the trio walked to breakfast the next morning.

Harry who had still been thinking about the conversation in Dumbledore's office last night was stunned out of his thoughts. "What?" 

Ron grinned devilishly, "I asked, are you and -," while Hermione berated good-naturedly, "Ron!"

"Okay, I got it the first time. I was just shocked."

"So are you and -?" Ron repeated jokingly.

"No," Harry exclaimed, flushing a little.

"How sad. I was about to congratulate you after seeing both of you so cosy in the library." Ron smiled mischievously.

"What? You saw us in the library?" Harry was given one shock after another.

"Erm… Blame it on Hermione. She wanted to get a book."

"Now it's all my fault, huh?" Hermione remarked sarcastically.

"Okay, okay. We share the blame." Ron gave way, while Harry was a little amused at how the conversation was going. Ron never gave way to Hermione and now…

"Oh, do we?" Hermione questioned mockingly.

Ron turned to water under Hermione's gaze. "It's all my fault?"

"No, silly. It's Harry's fault. He didn't tell us where he was going and just disappeared." Hermione turned her eyes to Harry, looking at him with accusation obvious in it. "And that's not the first time."

Relieved that it had nothing to do with him, Ron joined Hermione in the questioning of their friend's frequent vanishing these days. "Er, I…" Harry stuttered.

Now teasing, Hermione said kindly, "If you wanted to see Cho, it's all right with us, you know," before yelling, "But couldn't you have at least told us first."

Looking around to see if anyone was staring, Harry muttered, "Next time I will, okay? Now just stop creating a scene."

"Um, was I?" Hermione asked meekly, just realizing what gossip people could spread, had they seen her like that.

"Hermione's back all right, with her reputation in first priority." Ron chuckled.

"Yup, I agree." Harry added with a laugh, while Hermione just fumed silently beside them.

As they approached the breakfast table, Harry noticed that the Gryffindor Quidditch players were all huddled in a corner and wondered what they were discussing. As if on cue, they looked up and saw him, pausing a moment before beckoning him across. Ron and Hermione started to follow him but they motioned for him to come alone. As he explained this to Ron and Hermione, he did not miss the flash of jealousy on Ron's face and thought how lucky it was that Ron did not know of his powers too though he also felt guilty for hiding such a big secret from his best friends.

"Slept late, Harry?" Fred asked him innocently, "You must have dreamt of something pleasant, or someone whose name is G-."

Before Fred could continue, Harry cut in, "Shut up Fred, it's not that late anyway and I did not even dream last night," before lowering his tone, "So what are you guys so secretive about anyway?"

"Quidditch," Fred replied.

"Of course I know it is Quidditch. That's the only thing we all have in common." Harry exclaimed exasperatedly.

"Actually we were deciding on a captain and also holding try-outs for a keeper." Angelina interrupted before those two started arguing even more.

"Yes ma'am, Head Girl ma'am." Fred kidded.

Angelina scowled at him and George teased, "You should think twice before saying that. Now your girlfriend's angry. How could you, Fred?" before turning to Angelina, "I told you I was the better of the two. You should have chosen me instead."

"Now that you mention is George, how about I announce -," Fred said rather loudly before George clamped his hand over Fred's mouth.

Even Angelina had to laugh as they watched the catfight between the twins, before saying, "And as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, we were choosing a captain, and we all decided that it should be you, Harry."

"Huh… What?" Harry was confused, but he soon got a grip on himself, "I mean, I can't be captain. You guys would be better than me and don't I get a say in this?"

Smiling, Alicia added her two-cents worth, "We are older so you have to listen to us, and anyway, majority wins. You are captain."

"But -," Harry objected.

"No buts, Harry. You are the best choice. We all have our NEWTs this year and you'll be captain next year even if you aren't this year so you can't escape." Katie chimed in.

"Seriously," George started to say before the others shocked faces - nobody expected him or Fred to ever be serious, "You should be captain, Harry. It was you who won us every match except for one which was due to unforeseen circumstances."

"Yeah, Harry," Fred cut in when he saw that Harry wanted to protest more, "You know that we are right. And you don't expect George or me to be captain, do you? Angelina has extra head girl duties and as Katie said, we all have our NEWTs. You can still remember mum's reaction over our OWLs right?"

Knowing that all they said made sense, Harry grudgingly agreed, "All right," and the whole team cheered and whooped, "But you all have to help me. I have never done anything like this before and I won't know what to do."

"Anything, Harry."

"We'll do as you ask."

"No problem, Harry."

The team members were all delighted that Harry agreed and were willing to agree to anything he said.

And then George whispered something to Fred before they announced to the rest of the Gryffindors at the table, "Now, let us hail our new Quidditch captain - Harry Potter," and the rest of the Gryffindors joined the team in celebration. 

Harry scanned the table to see how Ron and Hermione reacted to the news. He had forgotten about Ron's sensitive nature when he took hold of the captainship but what happened after his name was called out from the Goblet of Fire now came back to him again. To his surprise and elation, Ron and Hermione were both yelling together with the rest of the house and he was ecstatic that he had the captainship and also his friends' support, which were equally important to him.

Students from the other tables were all curious about what happened at the Gryffindor table that had erupted in applause, and the word soon spread that Harry was elected captain of the Quidditch team. People from other houses came up to congratulate him except the Slytherins who were jeering as loudly as they could, and Cho mouthed a congratulations to Harry when he caught her eye, making him blush a little. Even the teachers, including Snape, looked happy for Harry. Noticing that, he promised himself that he would have a talk with Snape soon though he did not know how to approach him.

As Harry finally managed to settle down beside Ron and Hermione, Ron grinned, "I haven't had the chance to personally congratulate you but I think you're perfect for captain."

Harry blushed at Ron's words and muttered, "Thanks."

"So do you think I have a chance for keeper?" Ron asked cheerfully.

"Definitely, but we're going to have try-outs so you will have to compete with other hopefuls." Harry replied.

"But you and my brothers will root for me right?" Ron grinned devilishly.

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Um, I was just kidding. So when are the try-outs and what trials are you going to put poor me through," Ron ended dramatically.

Harry snorted before moaning, "Oh no, I'm captain so that means I have to plan the try-outs and I have no idea about that."

Fred who was listening in on the conversation, chortled, "Yes you have to, Harry. And you better hold it soon. We need to practice."

"Hmm, now I think about it, I'm captain so I can delegate responsibility and I say that Fred Weasley is in charge of the Gryffindor try-outs." Harry mused aloud triumphantly.

"You can't do that, Harry. The captain is in charge of the try-outs. Anybody will tell you that." Fred laughed in return.

"I can change the tradition, right."

"No, you can't." Fred replied as Harry sighed in despair.

As the trio walked to class, the impact of what was discussed in Dumbledore's office came back to him again. Someone else could die because of him and was in danger because of him. When Cedric died last year, he vowed that he wouldn't let anybody else die because of him. But he couldn't think of how to reverse the situation. Voldemort would kill Arabella Figg sooner or later, if she was not saved from Voldemort's clutches, and he couldn't let Sirius or Remus go into Voldemort's lair. He did not think that they would be able to come out alive.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Hermione asked, jolting Harry out of his gloomy thoughts.

Harry noticed that both Ron and Hermione were looking at him with great concern. Realizing that he could not hide all these things from them any longer, he decided that regardless of what Dumbledore said, he had to tell them. Anyway, Cho already knew most of it. "I think you guys should know what's been going on lately."

"Oh, so you've finally realized that we're your best friends, who you should share your problems with," Ron said sarcastically.

"Ron, let him talk," Hermione chided.

Harry looked at them remorsefully, "Sorry, but Dumbledore told me not to say anything and…"

Ron interrupted, "And when has anything Dumbledore said stopped you before?"

Hermione opened her mouth to berate Ron again but Harry beat her to it, "You know what Ron? You don't know anything yet so don't jump to baseless conclusions."

"And whose fault is it?" Ron started shouting.

"Fine, don't say I didn't want to talk about it. I was trying to tell you something important and you didn't want to listen." Harry shouted in return.

"Like I wanted to listen to anything you say, you big-headed snob, Quidditch captain, prefect and whatnot." Ron forgot all tact and let his jealousy take control while Harry looked browbeaten. Ron knew that he had gone too far. "Look…"

But before he could make amends, Harry cut in, mumbling, "I didn't know you felt like that. Sorry."

With that parting shot, Harry walked into class alone, all the joy he had felt at being made Quidditch captain earlier forgotten. Hermione glared at Ron before walking in after Harry. Seeing that glare, Ron felt another surge of anger at Harry, for stealing the girl he liked, totally forgetting that Harry liked someone else. Any thoughts of apologizing left his mind as he sat as far away from Harry as possible. For the first time in class, neither of the trio sat together and none of them were able to concentrate on the lesson, each lost in their own thoughts.

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Over the next few days, Hermione had a tough time trying to be mediator between Harry and Ron. Neither of them would give way. Harry was hurt by Ron's comments and would not think otherwise even though Hermione tried to convince him that Ron did not mean what he had said. Ron was mad at Harry, and Hermione assumed that it was because Harry did not confide in them, when it was actually because of her. Therefore, she tried to give reasons about Harry's refusal to confide in them earlier that only fueled Ron's anger as he thought that she was siding with Harry, and thus refused to budge from his position and apologize to Harry.

Left alone when Hermione left to find Ron that Saturday, Harry decided to look in the library, hoping to find something that will be able to help in saving Arabella Figg before Sirius and Remus decided to take matters into their own hands and go after her themselves. After all, she had looked after him while he was at the Dursleys and he did not want Sirius and Remus to be in danger too. Both of them had noticed the hostility between Harry and Ron and though they tried to interfere at first, they stopped after both boys snapped at them, realizing that it would be better for Harry and Ron to resolve the matter alone. Instead, Sirius tried to get Harry's mind away from the problem with Ron by cracking jokes and trying to coax a smile out of him each time they were together. Remus was just there, steady and dependable, offering silent support. They had gone through their own fights themselves when they were in Hogwarts, and also out of Hogwarts, and they knew the strong bond of friendship between the boys would not be broken so easily.

Pulling out some Defense Against The Dark Arts books from the shelves, Harry settled down in one corner of the library and began focusing on reading the books. While looking, he also learnt a few spells himself which he believed would be useful for future battles. Without realizing it, he skipped lunch and would have skipped dinner too if not for an interruption.

"Wow, studying over the weekend. I wouldn't believe that Harry Potter would become a bookworm but I've just witnessed it with my own eyes." A familiar voice, laced with amusement, sounded behind him.

Harry smiled when he realized who it was. "It's all due to your bad influence."

"And how come it's now my fault? I don't remember encouraging you to study." Cho shot back at him, scanning the titles of the huge pile of books set in front of her.

"Hmm, there's the fact that you're a Ravenclaw so…" Harry started to relax in her company, realizing how comforting it was.

But he didn't finish his sentence before she exclaimed, "What are you doing? Studying Defense over a nice and sunny Saturday afternoon." As Mrs. Pince looked towards them, she said softer, "There must be a reason behind this. What's happening, Harry?"

Admiring how astute she was, Harry replied, "Nothing. I'm just doing extra reading, seeing if there's anything to be learnt from these books."

"Harry, both you and I know that only Hermione does extra reading," Cho retorted before grinning weakly, "And maybe some Ravenclaws too."

"It's really nothing. Um, Ron and I had a fight and now I'm alone so… here I am at the library trying to pass time by reading." Harry told her a half-truth.

"I believe that you and Ron had a fight - everybody in the whole school can see that," to which Harry was relieved that she believed him but she hasn't finished yet, "But what I don't believe is that you'd be in the library to pass time. Tell me what is really going on, Harry or we're not leaving the library."

Wondering what he had got himself into, Harry grinned, "You might not want to leave the library but I do and I can just walk out."

"Really?" Cho raised her eyebrows at him, "And don't try to change the subject, Harry."

"Are you going to bug me until I tell you everything?" Harry sighed.

"Definitely, now that you've admitted that there's something in the first place." Cho smirked playfully at him, earning a groan in return.

"Why don't we get out of the library? I'm starving." Harry replied.

"Well, you did miss lunch. But we're not leaving until…" Cho started to say.

"Suit yourself. Gosh, did I really miss lunch. No wonder my stomach's growling. And I did think of telling you about it on the way to the kitchen but then… you'd rather stay in the library." Harry teased before standing to leave the library, a little disappointed that he had not learnt anything particularly useful to save Arabella Figg from the books.

"Harry, " Cho smiled in exasperation.

As Harry led the way to the kitchen, he started telling Cho about his dream and Arabella Figg - how he had to find a way to save her before more people put their lives in danger. He had already resigned himself to the fact that she could make him tell her anything. He hid the fact about Sirius and Remus being the ones to save Arabella Figg but he should have known by now that she would notice the holes in his story.

"You want to save her because you don't want anyone else to die for you. Gosh Harry, how big-headed can you get?" Cho tried to process what he had told her. Seeing Harry's grin fade, she knew that she had said something wrong, "Hey, I didn't mean it that way."

"It's all right. Ron said it too." Harry muttered, his face pale.

"What? How could he? I meant it that Voldemort would kill people whether there is you or not. And you are in fact trying to save these people, who are not dying because of you but because Voldemort wants to kill them."

"He captured Arabella Figg so that he could breach the spells guarding the Dursleys house to kill me. I have to save her or I'll feel guilty, like…"

"Don't tell me you're still thinking of last year. You promised not to." Cho said angrily.

"I'm trying not to all right and it's not easy when Voldemort wants to capture anybody and everybody who are close to me or can provide information about me." Harry burst out, not trying to hide his feelings anymore.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I never realized all this."

"Nah, I should be sorry, letting go all my frustrations on you. It's just that I tried to tell Ron and Hermione but he exploded before I could say anything and Si- my godfather and Re- Professor Lupin might be sending themselves to die if they go and save Arabella Figg as they had said they would." Harry threw all caution to the wind.

"Your godfather? You mean Sirius Black?" Cho inquired curiously.

"Er…yes. How did you know?" Harry was shocked.

"I subscribe to the Daily Prophet and there was an article about him when he was pardoned by the Minister of Magic. It stated that he was your godfather though I did not realize that you had contact with him so soon after he was released. Hmm, now I think of it, he had barely been pardoned and you're already trying to save his life." Cho stared questioningly at Harry.

"Um… " Harry racked his brains, "Dumbledore… He gave him a home at Hogwarts and we've met each other since."

"Have you forgotten what I told you before Harry," Cho giggled at his blank stare, "Don't try lying to me. You won't succeed."

"It was worth a try and it's really true that he's living at Hogwarts now," Harry defended himself.

"But there's more to it, right?" Cho's eyes twinkled.

"Well…" Harry knew that he would tell her eventually but he wasn't sure how she would react and he did love keeping her in suspense.

"How about I take a lucky guess? The dog which follows you or Professor Lupin around is Sirius Black." Cho had had her suspicions but she had never asked, but seeing Harry's shocked face now, she now knew that her suspicions were not baseless.

"How did you know?" Harry asked as the shock wore off.

"Simple logic and lucky guessing. Sirius means 'dog star' and there's also the fact on why Professor Lupin's dog was with you. And you did seem attached to the dog who was pretty smart too." Cho said in a flourish, pleased that she had been right.

"I…er…well…" Harry did not know what to say.

Cho teased, "Just admit it. I'm an intelligent person."

Harry regained his composure, "Really, then how come you did not voice your suspicions earlier? You would have been so sure you would be right."

"At least I got it right." Cho grinned good-naturedly, "And what are we doing outside a portrait of fruit."

"I told you we were going to the kitchen right." Harry replied with a smile.

"But -," Cho was confused.

"Give it up. It's my turn to show my ingenuity." Harry tried to conceal his laughter at Cho's confusion.

"All right, expert. As long as you get us in the kitchen, I won't kill you." Cho kidded.

Harry tickled the pear and the kitchen beckoned, "Here we are. Ladies first."

Cho had to admit that she was surprised that the kitchen was so accessible, "And how did you know how to get into the kitchen?"

"Call it a stroke of genius," Harry grinned at Cho's disbelieving face, "Okay, someone told me."

Cho was about to ask more but the house-elves had gathered around them and Harry was already asking for food. As they left to fulfill his orders, Cho noticed that one house-elf had remained and was chatting rather animatedly with Harry.

"Come on Cho, meet Dobby." Harry called to her.

As Cho approached, Dobby said, "Dobby is pleased to meet with a friend of Harry Potter sir," before scurrying away to check that Harry's food would be prepared to his liking.

Cho narrowed her eyes, "When did you become a Sir? And it's a wonder that you have fans in the kitchen as well."

"Dobby is like that. I saved him in my second year from the Malfoys and he has been here since. And it's useful to have fans in the kitchen. Don't you think so too?" Harry teased while Cho swatted playfully at him.

"And don't think you can change the subject. You haven't told me about Sirius."

Harry groaned, "All right. I'll tell you but…"

"But I can't tell anyone else about it." Cho finished for him. "When have I told anybody anything you have told me?"

As Harry enjoyed his meal in the kitchen, he also tried to tell her about his third year at Hogwarts and also how Sirius and Remus knew his parents. She did not interrupt once and just listened understandingly. She really was a marvel. "Remember, both of you are just friends." Harry told himself. Maybe he had stopped thinking of Cedric as an obstruction to a relationship with Cho but the fact that she only thought of him as a friend. So many guys from Hogwarts liked her. How would he stand a chance against so many?

She admired how he had lived since the third year, having his godfather nearly pardoned and then again having to live in hiding. She was happy for him the his godfather was finally pardoned and a little embarrassed at treating Sirius like a dog - she had thought that he was a real dog at first - at Diagon Alley. The pains and sufferings Harry had gone through in his fifteen years was more than what a normal person would in a lifetime and she knew better than to ask him, to make him dwell over it instead of move on. She was slowly but surely falling for him and she did not know what to do about it. Sometimes, it seemed that he had more than friendship in mind through the way he looked at her but she was never sure. All the girls at Hogwarts wanted him and she was just one in many. Would he choose her over them? She wanted to laugh at herself. She just realized that she liked him and she was already thinking so far. She promised herself that she would take one step at a time and see how it goes. (A/N: All right. Cho likes Harry back. Where will it go from now? Just wait and see.)

"So are you done eating?" Cho asked after a while.

"Why?" Harry was confused that she had not asked more about his third year instead. She had just heard about it and she was suddenly talking about something totally different.

"I thought you might want to play Quidditch. Eating and not exercising might make you grow fat," Cho teased.

"Who are you calling fat?" Harry growled, everything else forgotten but the radiance of the vision in front of him.

"Hmm…you…" Cho replied as he chased her out of the kitchen with the house-elves all staring at them. Dobby was smiling, realizing that Harry Potter sir had found love just as he had in Winky. (A/N: I had nothing better to do so I just added that in for fun =))

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	6. A Look Into Severus’ Façade / Quidditch ...

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They all belong to the gifted Joanne Kathleen Rowling so don't sue me! All I have are my plot and my computer =).

A/N: Huge apologies on my part for not updating for so long. I've been busy, adapting to a new school and such. Actually I had this chapter outlined for quite a long time but just could not find the time to actually write it. Well, it was great to keep you all in suspense for a while until people started emailing me to hurry and write this chapter. I hope this chapter is to your satisfaction… It's not too long but at least it's something. **Minor revision made to chapter in Snape's conversation with Harry!!!**

A Look Into Severus' Façade / Quidditch Trials

Harry kept true to his word and made it a point to talk to Snape who had seemed to be avoiding practically everybody this year. Something had to happen to cause such a drastic change in his character. It was as if he had isolated himself from everyone and Harry was sure it had something to do with the end of last year and was determined to find out what was the cause. He knew that Snape would not see him willingly and made it a point to cause some trouble in Potions. Everyone had a limit to his or her tolerance and Snape was no exception. People were surprised to see the Harry Potter who had been an exceptional student lately causing trouble in Potions especially since Snape had not done anything against him this year, but Harry was pleased when Snape finally called his for detention the very night. It seemed that his ploy had indeed worked.

 As he made his way down to the dungeons for detention that night, Harry thought about his growing gap with Ron. He did not want to lose his best friend yet how could he help it if Ron was so jealous over everything he had. He himself only wanted to be a normal wizard. At least he felt he did something right by asking Hermione to spend some time with Ron - he did not want Ron jealous of the fact that he had more of Hermione's company too. Anyway, it would give them both a chance to sort out their feelings for each other, or at least Ron's feelings for Hermione, without his interference. He felt a little left out but it was his own choice and maybe this situation would be safer for them.

Harry entered the dungeons, seeing a tired Professor Snape leaning over his desk, marking some papers. "Er, Professor, I'm here to serve my detention."

"Oh, you're here, Harry." Snape chuckled at Harry's expression over being called his given name, before muttering, (A/N: Forgive me if Snape's a little OOC.) "I finally got over the grudge I felt towards you after all that's happened so um… Sorry."

"Huh," Harry was shocked at the Snape in front of him. He came down here expecting detention, not an apology. He knew Snape had changed but this was overwhelming.

"You don't expect me to repeat that, do you?" Snape answered sarcastically.

"Uh no," Harry replied, still in shock.

"Well, you can go now," Snape continued in a business-like manner.

"But sir, what about detention?" Harry regained his tongue.

"Harry, we both know that what happened in Potions today was intentional. I only gave you detention to apologize. You can leave." Snape said slowly as if Harry could not grasp what he was saying.

Admiring Snape for being able to see through his bluff, Harry now said, "Since you know I wanted to talk to you, can you at least tell me more?"

"Now Potter, you shouldn't be so inquisitive," Snape growled before sighing, "But I guess you deserve to know the truth." He had a wistful look in his eye as he continued, "Both James and I weren't really enemies. We were rivals, competitive in all we do, but not enemies. We respected each other's intelligence and I was always amused at his ingenuity in pulling pranks, even when they were on myself though that would be after I got back at him. It was only after your father and mother got together that I began to feel jealous. I wasn't in love with Lily but it was more like James always got the best, even the prettiest girls, and Lily was one of my best friends though we were in different houses."

"But how did all this come about? How did you join Voldemort?" Harry dared to ask.

"I… er… I was a jealous fool and I thought joining Voldemort would gain me respect, would make me more popular than James could ever be. Alas, I was wrong. It was the worse decision in my life and now I'm stuck with the mark. When I finally came to my senses, I tried to warn James and Lily that Voldemort was after them, that someone had betrayed them (though I didn't know who it was then), but I was too late. I'm so sorry, Harry. I killed your parents."

Harry was angry initially but he remembered that was exactly how he felt about Cedric's death too. "I guess that's where we're similar. I feel guilty over Cedric's death too."

Amazed that Harry did not blame him, Snape felt even more remorseful over treating Harry badly over the years. He said sharply, "You should not blame yourself. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. You can't be everyone's hero."

Harry was surprised that he felt better after Snape's words than anyone else's. It was as if he understood what he felt. "Then you should not think my parents death were your fault. It's that traitor, Pettigrew's."

"I don't know, Harry. It's tough after thinking this way all these years." Snape was surprisingly vulnerable.

"Just try, Professor. It's no use blaming yourself. Nobody blames you." Harry recalled a familiar conversation with Cho some time ago.

"Maybe one day I can forgive myself Harry. Maybe." Snape said.

Thinking to talk about something else, Harry asked, "So why did you treat me as you had over the last four years?"

Snape flinched, "Sorry. I knew you had to face Voldemort one day and someone needed to toughen you up now that your parents weren't here. I caused your parents death and I was determined not to let you die the same way too. The bitterness I felt over my past deeds and all the lives I hurt was also eating up at me. I became this new person and I don't know how to change myself."

"Professor, you agreed to try not to blame yourself over my parents death," Harry regarded Snape severely, "And you actually have become a nicer person just by telling this all this and more." (A/N: Minor revision over the last few lines.)

They spent a few hours just chatting, realizing how similar they actually were, and how comforting it was to have someone who had gone through what each had and to understand how each felt. Over that time, they grew closer to each other, such that the past four years was all but forgotten. Snape even admitted that he had purposely pulled Harry's Potions grades down to get him to work harder as a slight mistake in Potions could be fatal in the outcome of the potion.

Everybody was surprised to see Snape and Harry getting along, though Professor Dumbledore looked secretly pleased. It only gave Ron a reason to dislike Harry more as he felt that Harry was being a traitor to Gryffindor, getting along with the head of Slytherin house, the teacher whom all Gryffindors, or even the whole school minus the Slytherins, hated.

******************************

On the morning of the Quidditch tryouts, all the Gryffindors woke up in anticipation of who would be their new keeper. Those who were taking part in the tryouts were excited and hopeful of garnering a spot on the team. Ron even woke up his whole dormitory in excitement, though he was still not talking to Harry. The Gryffindor team members made it to the Quidditch pitch an hour before the rest to discuss how to hold the tryouts.

"Harry, what happened to your Firebolt?" Alicia asked as he came in carrying his Laser.

"It's still working. Think I'll use it as a spare now that I've got a new broom." Harry grinned in reply.

"Lucky you," Fred said as he walked in together with Angelina, "The captain always gets the best."

Slowly, the rest of the team appeared, all of them admiring Harry's new broom. There were only limited stocks in the market so it was really surprising to see that a student had one too. Still, it was Harry Potter and he also had a Firebolt, so this wasn't that much of a surprise.

"So how are we holding the tryouts? Put them in the keepers position as you chasers try to score against him or her, or do we have a mock game?" Harry asked, taking charge of the meeting since he was captain, but also not knowing the procedure since he had not witnessed Quidditch trials before.

"Why don't we chasers try to score against them first and then we take the best two and have a mock game?" Angelina commented.

"Good idea," Fred said.

"Of course you have to say it's a good idea. Your girlfriend suggested it." George joked before continuing, "Though seriously, I think we should do that too."

"So all agreed?" Katie asked.

"Yes," they all said in accord.

They all emerged from the dressing room to see a small crowd gathered on the pitch. Harry saw some of his dorm-mates and gave them thumbs-up. He was about to walk over to wish them luck when he saw the other team members looking at him expectantly, though Ron studiously ignored him.

"What?" Harry asked, when the team stared at him expectantly.

"You're supposed to give instructions and such." Angelina prodded.

"But I don't know what to say," Harry replied.

"Just tell them what to do," Angelina answered.

"Alright, I'll try." Harry mumbled.

"Everyone listen. We're holding tryouts for the keeper's position today. First, we want you all to take turns at facing our chasers who will try to put the Quaffle past you. The two best performers will proceed to a mock game from which we will choose the best keeper. The better one will obviously be on the Gryffindor team while the other will be our reserve." Harry announced.

"That wasn't bad for a first attempt," Alicia gave him a winning grin.

"Yeah…but I was trembling inside," Harry replied devilishly.

"You did fine. Now let's put them into order and then let the tryouts begin." Katie said.

After a while, you could see the difference between the better ones and those who did not really make an effort. By the end, Ron and Ginny performed the best. Ron was a hell of a keeper, but as for Ginny, well, no Quaffle got past her and she performed outstanding dives one after another. It had been surprising to see Ginny try out and even more to see what an awesome flier she was. The Weasleys had all gotten new brooms over the summer but it was her technique on the broom that was exceptional. She was almost as great a flier as Harry and better than all the Weasleys put together. And here everybody else thought that Ginny was shy and reserved. Fred and George were proud of their younger siblings. They had helped Ron practice over the summer, while Ginny helped their mother around the house but still weren't stunned by Ginny's performance. They knew that she was as determined and talented as any of them, and maybe even more.

It was not easy to choose between the both of them, as they both put up impeccable performances in the mock game. The chasers all found it difficult to score against them. Ginny was the more agile and flew exceptionally well, keeping out nearly all the shots easily, being able to read the plays of the chasers with great foresight. Ron performed spectacularly well; letting in a few Quaffles after excellent plays by the chasers. He was also tall so he had a better reach. Finally, they had to resort to a vote to choose who the new keeper was. Unbelievably, the vote was also a tie. After some debate, they finally resulted in an outcome. Emerging from the dressing room, the Gryffindor team was rushed at by the two keeper hopefuls who were eager to see if they had qualified for the team.

"You all took so long. So who's it going to be?" Hermione who was also there asked.

Harry joked, "Actually we found it so difficult to choose between you two that we're going to discuss more and let you guys know later."

"Harry!" Hermione and Ginny both yelled at him while the rest of the Gryffindor team just sat around grinning. Ron noticed how comfortable both girls were around Harry and started to feel jealous again. (A/N: Ginny was not being nervous around Harry because she was excited about the position of keeper, wanting to get out of all her elder brothers background.)

"Alright. After much consideration, we decided to choose Ginny as we felt that Ron would be more comfortable in the beater position. And not to worry Ron, you might have a chance this season if Ginny or one of your brothers gets injured." Harry teased, trying to lighten the tension between himself and Ron.

"Being captain does not give you the prerogative to curse your team members," Katie teased in return.

"Ahh… Here I thought I was able to do whatever I wanted. That's why I accepted the captaincy." Harry kidded.

The Weasleys all congratulated each other and though Ron looked a little down, he was congratulating Ginny together with his brothers. He admitted to himself that she was the better keeper though he'd rather have the spotlight on him. He was also seething inside at Harry's remark, not taking it for the joke it was but thinking that Harry was telling him that he would never be the best. Noticing the forced lightheartedness in Ron, Hermione could see that Ron and Harry were not going to make up anytime soon. It was difficult for her, being the mediator between the two. That night, the team threw a party in the Gryffindor tower to celebrate their new keeper, and youngest member.

******************************

Time flew and Christmas break approached. The Weasleys - Ron and Harry still had not made up - and Hermione had signed up to go home this time, leaving Harry to stay at Hogwarts along. In fact, he would be the oldest Gryffindor left in the tower. Hermione had wanted to stay but her parents were having relatives over and wanted her home. Harry was secretly pleased, as he knew that he could take this opportunity to think through all that has happened the past weeks and finding a way to save Arabella Figg who was still in Voldemort's hands - Sirius was still away in his pursuits to save her and Harry couldn't help feeling worried. Quidditch season was also starting after Christmas and all the teams had been training frantically, trying to get their members in shape and ready for the season. Harry spent part of his time devising tactics and the other time training his powers, of which he was discovering more and more each day. Hagrid had come back from wherever he had been, on Dumbledore's business, and the trio was happy to see him again. All of them came to see him separately because of the rift between Ron and Harry but all three were relieved that they no longer had to see the awful relieve teacher who had taken Hagrid's place for the past three months ever again.

Harry had gone to the train station to see his friends off and Hermione asked, "You will be alright without us, won't you?", while Ron just stood by at a corner. He had taken to ignoring Harry, and actually felt a little remorseful inside, but those thoughts vanished each time he saw Harry and Hermione talking to each other.

"Yeah, just terribly bored," Harry sighed. 

Hermione opened her mouth to apologize for leaving him alone this break, but the Hogwarts Express let out a honk letting all the students know it was leaving. Ron motioned to Hermione who turned to Harry.  
"Bye Harry. Merry Christmas!" Hermione yelled as she ran after Ron.  
"Bye," Harry answered.

Harry trudged back to school and wandered around aimlessly until he realized where his feet had taken him - to the library. Looking inside, he saw Cho curled up on an armchair, with books around her. He shook his head, smiling to himself, amazed at her love for books. But then again, she was a Ravenclaw. He made a mental note not to mention that in front of her, knowing she was rather sensitive each time he linked books to Ravenclaw. She had pulled her hair into a messy bun, with a few wisps flying about that she tucked impatiently behind her ear each time they distracted her from her reading. He jumped a little when he realized that he had been staring at her for quite a few minutes. Looking out of the window, he saw that snow had covered Hogwarts grounds and was still falling. Remembering how she had gushed about snow to him before, he realized that she must have been concentrating really hard not to notice the snow outside.

Harry approached her silently, startling her. "Harry, what…?" Cho exclaimed, but he just pulled her to her feet and after him. "What are you trying to do, Potter?"

"Just come with me," Harry replied simply to Cho's confusion.

"Harry, where are you bringing me? Cho demanded, jogging a little to catch up with his long strides. Harry did not even answer or slow down. "Hey, I'm not moving until you tell me where you're taking me to."

Noticing that Cho's cheeks were flushed with exertion, Harry paused with her, teasing, "Are you sure you don't want to move?"

As he walked closer to her threateningly, Cho felt her heart beat faster. "No."

Harry regarded her, picked her up into his arms, and continued walking, not even feeling the extra burden. However, he was amazed that he dared to carry Cho as he did and hoped that he did not offend her. He nearly missed a step as he looked into her sparkling eyes and tried to ignore how close they were.

"Put me down, Harry," Cho pounded at him, amused at what's happening, yet delighted and nervous at being in his arms.

"Too late, we're here," Harry laughed.

Feeling the rumble of laughter in his chest, Cho blushed, noticing his muscular chest and arms. Luckily, he wasn't noticing, busying himself with opening the front doors with her still in him arms instead. "Um, so what was it you wanted to show me? It can't be the front doors right?"

Chuckling, Harry replied, "Actually, I just broke my arms under your weight to let you see this intricate design of the front doors."

Punching his playfully, Cho said indignantly, "I am not that heavy."

"Ow… If you punch me again, I'm going to drop you. The weight is just overwhelming." Harry teased.

"Harry!" Cho poked him.

"Alright, you are as light as a feather. Is that okay?" Harry smiled.

"Hmm, that's fine. But I want to know why we are here."

"Ah, demanding huh? You'll see very soon." Harry managed to open the front doors and threw her out into the snow. (A/N: Layers of snow cover the ground so she wouldn't be injured.)

"Wow… Snow. I didn't even notice…" Cho trailed off, her smile shining through her eyes, before turning to face Harry, dusting the snow off her clothes, "But that doesn't allow you to throw me into the snow. You are so going to get it Potter."

They started a snowball fight between them and both ended up rolling about in the snow after tackling each other to the ground. They were so close to each other and both of them were staring into each other's eyes when the sun started to set. Harry immediately pulled his eyes away, blushing, before standing up and lifting a hand to help her.

"Come on. You are going to miss the sunset if you don't stand up. It's gorgeous." Harry eyes crinkled into a smile as he tried to forget the tense moment between them earlier.

Cho did not let go of his hand, and stood beside him, watching the last vestige of the sun disappearing behind the snow-capped mountain. It was as if it was a beautiful end to a great day. "Thanks," Cho said, finally breaking the silence between them.

"For?" Harry was confused.

"For taking me out into the snow, for spending the day with me. Just by being yourself." Cho smiled faintly at him.

Harry returned the smile, "I enjoyed myself too. But I think we should be going in. It's going to be dinner soon and you're shivering."  Her hand, which he still held, was like icicles.

They walked back to the castle still hand-in-hand, and in companionable silence, before leaving for their own dormitories, both with thought of each other drifting in their minds, knowing the each was steadily falling for each other. That day was just testament to the fact. They had lots of fun in each company yet there were also moments when each wanted more than just fun and friendship. They wanted more from this relationship yet both were afraid. It had seemed so normal for them to hold each other's hand earlier…

****************************** 

**Bon:** Thanks for reviewing.

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